Anju's Chapters
by Chris Bachman
Summary: Karin's story has been told, but what about Anju? Anju's story has yet to be told. What are the chapters of Anju's life? What challenges does her life have in store for her after Karin left? Based on the ending of the manga, may contain spoilers.
1. Chapter One Loneliness and Ambitions

**This story is based on the manga. So Anju's blood preference is loneliness and Boogie-kun is still very much alive (yay)**

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**Chapter One – Loneliness and Ambition**

It is 2007, spring time. It is a year to the day since Ren erased Karin's memory. Anju is standing on top of Kenta's roof. She has been standing on there for quite a long time, her bats blocking any human from seeing her standing up there. She is 15 years old right now. Normally hormones would skyrocket at this age. But she was a prodigy. A vampire prodigy. Tonight, she decided, she will stay on this roof all night long, for the 1st anniversary of her sister's new life with Usui Kenta and his mother. Ren left soon after he erased Karin's memory in order to deal with Bridget and his son. She felt lonely.

_How ironic…To think that my blood preference is loneliness_  
She smiled at that thought.

She is the only female vampire left who is single (and a pretty one too). She is just 15 and yet all these older vampires (often 80 and above) ask for her hand in marriage. None of them appealed to her. Too old. She would prefer somebody her age.

Boogie would say: "Sex appeal has nothing to do with age" every time some old vampire proposed to Anju (a meeting which her parents helped set up). It is no wonder that her parents are a little desperate. There is a lot of pressure on both Anju and Ren. Bridget is the only vampire to get pregnant in a hundred years. Now all the eyes are on Anju, and her parents are hoping that she will decide on a partner soon, because the vampire population is still decreasing. She knows that there is no vampire her age in this world, she is the youngest vampire in the world. She has become quite a celebrity in the vampire world: Anju Maaka, the last single female vampire.

She stood there on the roof, gazing at the city. She looks up to the moon.  
"Maybe I will never find love like onnee-chan did" she mumbled to herself  
She sighed. _Onii-cha and onnee- chan found love…when will it be my turn? Or maybe I will never find love, considering that I am last female vampire and all the other male vampires are so…old.  
_

Her eyes scanned the city, wondering if her love is out there somewhere. _And I don't want to disappoint Mother and Father and the other vampires by falling for a human either. Not that I care much about the other vampires though…_  
She is right. The vampire community would freak out if the last female vampire available would fall in love with a human.

--

We will leave Anju with her (rather depressing, but interesting) thoughts for now and go west. To Fukuoka.  
A teenage boy is running up the hills. Dark spiky hair, basketball shoes and a smile that is almost always morel like a smirk. His name is Katsu Takahashi.  
_Damn_, he thought to himself, _why does that old man call me up to his place so suddenly. And I just finished dinner. _

He reaches his grandfather's house. He knocks on the door and his uncle opens it.  
"What are _you _doing here?" Katsu asks him.  
"Me and your gramps are doing our research" his Uncle replied.

Katsu's grandfather and uncle are obsessed with one thing and one thing only: a longer life. They don't have anything else in common; grandpa likes sprite, uncle likes Coke, grandpa likes short cute girls, uncle likes tall mature babe. They can't even agree on the fact that Belgian chocolate is the best. Their newest theory to a longer life is… (you guessed it) vampire blood. They are theorizing that if a human gets injected with vampire blood, he will either gain a longer life or just die. This could easily be tested; the only problem is finding a vampire in the first place.

Katsu sighed. _They are really never gonna give up on that dumb and pointless research are they. _

Katsu stepped into his grandfather's lab.

"Ah Katsu, come over here" the old man said when he heard Katsu entering.  
"What did you call for gramps?" Katsu asked right away. His basketball team is going to have a game in one hour and he didn't want to waste any time.  
"I have an important task you young man" the old man replied with a smile.  
Katsu simply looked at his grandpa. _That smile can't mean anything good. _

"Tomorrow you will go to Tokyo" Katsu's grandfather continued. "In that city, you will track down a vampire called 'Maaka'"

If only he knew that Maaka was the name of a vampire family, not just a single vampire.

Katsu groaned. _I knew it, I knew it…_  
"Why me? Can't uncle do it? He is older than I am, hence a higher chance of success." Katsu tried to argue.  
"I'm getting married in two weeks, I have to stay with my bride" Uncle replied with a sheepish smile. "Also, your other uncle is a vampire hunter. You should have learned something from him about vampires' right? You can probably find the vampire faster than I can."  
"Can't you do it after the weeding?" Katsu really didn't want leave Fukuoka now. He just became friends with the girl he lusts after, and he got accepted onto the school's basketball team. From all the times he has to leave town, why now.  
"Sorry kiddo, got a honeymoon coming"  
Katsu grunted. _Bastard. _

Gramps coughed to get Katsu's attention.  
"Once you arrive in Tokyo, we will send you more information via email." he explained.  
"Why when I'm in Tokyo? It's easier to give it to me now." Katsu replied.  
"Because the instructions are 50 pages long, and we don't have a printer here. Print them in an Internet Café in Tokyo." his uncle said

Katsu sighed. Since his father died, his grandfather has been taking care of him. He can't object to him. _But what a pain in the ass. _  
"Can I go now?" Katsu asked his grandfather.  
"One second"  
Gramps handed him the tickets for the flight.  
Katsu left without another word.

--

_2 days later in Tokyo _

It was 10 pm. Katsu left the Motel that he stayed in. Apparently, his family didn't have the money to make him stay in a 5 star hotel with room service. He updated his laptop at a nearby Internet Café. He read the first 3 pages of the 50 page pdf his uncle has send him. First he should start off by looking for deserted and dark sites. Next he should call the number on page 3 in the pdf.  
_I'll call that person tomorrow. What a pain in the ass._

Katsu was even more pissed off than before. His team lost 40:51, and the girl he lusts after accepted another guy. It's a wonder how so much can happen to a single person in just a day. He strolled around the city. Looking for anything exiting. According to his grandpa, who did a lot of 'research' on vampires, vampires come out at night only. They rarely appear during the day. Katsu figured that the fastest way to get back home was to find a vampire fairly quickly, and to do that, he should stay up all night strolling through the city. He started looking for odd, old and abandoned sites.

He strolled around until he is half asleep. _Hang in there Katsu, vampires come out at night. So you better sleep by day and eat by night. Humph, how inconvenient. _

At around midnight, he found a old abandoned mansion on the top of hill. The house was black, looked old and ready to be demolished. Surrounding it were a whole bunch of dead trees.

"This is just like in the old vampire stories" Katsu said to himself with a smirk. He couldn't help but smirk. If it was going to be that easy, he could be home by the end of the week.

He started to go around the hill, hoping to find some kind of pathway that would lead to the house. No way in hell he is going to fight himself through all those trees. His balls would be cut off before he reaches the mansion. Instead of finding a path to the mansion he found a small apartment house, and on the roof of that house was Anju. Instinctively Katsu hid behind a tree.  
_What the crap is she doing on top of the roof? How did she get up there anyway?_

Katsu continued to observe her. She was quite beautiful. The moonlight shone upon her and Katsu could make out that she had long, grey, silvery hair and wore a black dress. She could be a hardcore cosplayer. There were some bats flying around her head.

Katsu stood still and observed her. _Damn, she is really cute. Even though I can't see her face clearly from 100 meters away. Maybe she is 14 or 15. My type of girl. _

Katsu smiled with at that thought. He continued to watch her. By 2 am he was half asleep. By 2.30 am Anju went off for a meal and Katsu used his last strength to get himself a taxi. He fell asleep on the taxi, which was quite troublesome for the driver. And Katsu forgot his wallet in the motel.

* * *

This is my first fanfic, and the first time I ever posted a story online. And English isn't even my first language (lol). I'm working on the second chapter which should be out very soon!  
Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter Two Ambitions and Pain

**This story is based on the manga. So Anju's blood preference is loneliness and Boogie-kun is still very much alive (yay). Also, characters like Glark that only appear in the manga will start to 'guest-star' (lol)**

**

* * *

  
**

**Chapter Two – Ambitions and Pain**

Anju was standing on top of a skyscraper somewhere in Tokyo. The moon was really bright again tonight and it isn't even the end of the month. Her deep dark eyes are gazing at the city, lost in thought. She hasn't drunk any blood for weeks; it's time for her to feed. She was about the fly to the park to look for a target when another vampire landed next to her.

"What do you want?" Anju asked the new vampire with an angry tone.  
The other vampire smirked.  
"Thought you might need this." he said with an Osaka dialect. It was Glark.  
He drew out a bottle of fresh blood, lonely blood. Anju's preference. She turned her back to him, clearly not interested in anything Glark has to say. How can she, Glark has kidnapped her sister before. She can never forgive him for that. Anju was starting to summon her bats to help her fly away.

"Wait!" Glark exclaimed.  
"What do you want?" Anju asked him again, giving him the Stare of Doom. Glark got Goosebumps from that stare, but he isn't going to give up. He quickly kneeled before her.  
"Will you marry me?" Glark asked Anju, looking straight into her Stare of Doom. For a short guy, he is pretty brave.  
"Leave now or die" Anju replied coldly.  
"Could you at least give it some thought?" Glark pleaded Anju. She is the last single female vampire there is. She is his only option for his wife. Boogie-kun couldn't take it anymore. How dare this shorty hold out for Anju-sama's hand in marriage.

Boogie-kun bursted out: "Who do you think you are you pathetically short vampire? Huh? You kidnap her sister, and then you ask for Anju-sama's hand in marriage! You low life scum! Anju-sama is only 15 years old! And you are what old man? I bet you will dry up before the next century! You short-stuff scum! Go fu-"

Anju squeezed Boogie-kun's neck, and his outburst was cut short. But Boogie-kun had done quite a good job, Glark was beyond pissed now. A doll called him 'short-stuff scum'.

"Thank you Boogie-kun" Anju said with a smile.  
Anju gave him one last cold stare and left. Glark was devastated. Humiliated by a doll, and instantly rejected by the most beautiful female vampire. Anju looked back at him as she was flying away. _Humph, serves him right._

She decided to drop by her home before starting to look for a target. She needs to drop off Boogie-kun before she can start to hunt. It's easier to hunt lonely lolicons if she doesn't have a doll with her, or else they won't take her serious. Or at least that's what she thinks.

When she got home, Calera was on the phone.

"Yes, she will be here. Yes…Yes…bye"  
"Mom, who was it?" Anju asked her, already knowing the answer.

"A vampire called Hirotaka will pass by our place while traveling through Asia for ten years" Calera replied casually.

"Not another marriage proposal…" Anju sighed.  
"Aw, c'mon Anju. You are much desired in the vampire world. Many young, fresh male vampires are looking at you."

"None of them love me" Anju said gloomily. "They desire me for the fact that I am

the last female vampire without a lover."

Calera sighed.

"Yes…I know what it feels like not to be loved for who I am." she said to her daughter. "Maybe you could find a vampire that you love? And then you could seduce him using the weapons that a woman has."

Calera started to have that evil glare in her eyes.

"Mother." Anju said without emotion. "I am not ready to be engaged. And neither

would Father approve me of seducing vampire males"  
"The vampire population is still decreasing, but don't make that put pressure on you. Take your time to find your husband, but don't take too much time."

Anju looked her mother. She doesn't know what to say. She sat down and stared off into space. Calera looked at her daughter, clearly something must have happened.

"Anju…did something happen?" Calera asked her.  
"Glark proposed to me" Anju replied with an angry tone. "I'm nothing but an object of desire."  
"That bastard proposed to you?" Calera was furious. And the fact that her daughter was so depressed made her even more mad. "Aw, Anju that's not true. You much more than just an 'object of desire'."

Anju sighed. She doesn't want to talk about Glark. He may be her size physically, but he is way too old. Not to mention that he kidnapped Karin.

"I'm going to look for a meal" she said, and walked out of the door, throwing Boogie-kun on the sofa. Calera sighed as Anju walked out of the house. _Anju...Anju. What should I do._

Anju walked out of the door feeling depressed. _I will never find love…All the other vampires are too old. And none of them are my type anyway. I just wish that mother understood me better. _(Then who is Anju's type?)

She doesn't notice that somebody is watching her.

--

_6 hours earlier (16:00 pm) _

Katsu is lying on his bed, his cell phone in his hands. He uses his arms to cover his eyes from the sunlight coming in from the window, and had a huge grin on his face. If that girl last night really was a vampire, then he could be on his way home by the end of the week. He looked to the side of his bed, the printed out pdf document was still there. He sat up and turned to page 3. He dialed the number on there. While the phone is ringing, he starts to read the text at the bottom of page 3. It says that he should simply give the operator his name, and then everything else will be handled by the operator. No other information about the person he is supposed to contact is written there. The phone rang three times when a friendly female voice answered the phone.

"This is the International Vampire Hunter Guild, how may I help you?"

_Oh my god…gramps gave me the number of a vampire hunter organization. I'm so going to kill that old man once I'm done with this crap. _

Katsu followed the instructions on page 3 and told the woman that he was Katsu Takahashi. The woman told him to wait for a moment and linked him to another number. Beethoven's "Fuer Elise" started playing while Katsu waited.

20 seconds later, a young man's voice answered.  
"Is this Katsu Takahashi?"  
"Yes" Katsu answered, almost sighing.  
"Ahahahaha, old Takahashi's grandson I see."  
"Uhm…Who are you?" Katsu asked, bewildered that the stranger knew so much about him.  
"Ah kiddo, your gramps once was an honorable member of the research department of our Vampire Hunter Guild."  
_That doesn't answer the question you dimwit._

"Who are you?" Katsu asked again, this time with more power in his voice.  
"I'm Jun Sakurada, general of the 5th division for the Vampire Capturing department"

_Oh goody…a general too huh._

"My grandfather told me to call this number, what do you want from me?" Katsu asked, unsure where this would lead to.

"Ah kiddo, I don't want anything from you" Jun replied. "In fact, I want to give you something."

"Uhm…what?"

"I understand that you have been sent by your grandfather to track down a vampire, correct?"

"Uh yeah…"

"And that you have little experience with tracking them down, yes?"

"Yes…"

"Long story short, because your grandpa was once a honorable member of the Vampire Hunter guild, we are in his dept and thus we will lend full support to your search for that particular vampire."

_Couldn't you have just simply said that at the beginning?_

"How are you going to help me?" Katsu asked, curious now. Because if had help, then he can get this search faster done, and he would be home faster.

"We are going to come by your hotel and we will talk further about that. Could you please give me your address? We will be there as soon as possible."  
Katsu gave Jun the motel's address.  
"Thank you. We will be there in 90 minutes"  
The phone went dead.

Katsu put his phone beside him on the bed. _Just what the hell is going…But its interesting haha. _

--

_2 hours later (18:00 pm)_

Katsu stood there waiting in the lobby. That person called Jun is half an hour too late. Jun stood there holding his phone. He should have asked for Jun's number before he hung up. He decided to sit down. Suddenly an Osaka dialect speaking vampire hunter came through the door. It was Jun, and behind him were half a dozen of henchmen.

"Hey there Katsu." Jun called out with ah huge smile on his face. Katsu raised his eyebrows at that cheery greeting.

"Hello…" Katsu replied while wondering if Jun was gay.

"Shall we got up to your room and discuss the situation?" Jun offered.

"Sure…"

Katsu looked at Jun as they walked towards the elevator. Jun seemed to be in his late 20s. Probably somewhere around 28. He had slightly spiked up blond hair and wore a black Boss suite. Pretty fancy. His eyes were deep black and he wore two golden rings on his finger.

They arrived at Katu's room. Katsu, Jun and half a dozen additional henchmen couldn't fit into Katu's motel room, so four of the henchmen decided to stay outside the door. Kind of acting as bodyguards. The henchmen were pretty similar to Jun. Dark suite, but no tie and their hair was little spiked up and jet black. Some of them wore glasses.

"So, what have you done so far?" Jun said while sitting down on Katsu's bed. "Spotted any people that could be vampires? Or did you find some vampires already?"

Katsu thought for a moment about how he should answer. "Do vampires like to stand on roofs?" Katsu asked.

"Uhm…some of them yeah. When they got nothing to do, they like to watch other people while standing on the roof, or when they are looking for a biting target. Night hides them from getting seen, and humans usually don't look at the top of roofs at night anyways."

"Ok…"

"You saw a person standing on top of a roof?" Jun asked curiously.

"More or less…yeah"

"What do you mean by that…?"

"I saw a 14 to15 year old girl standing on top of a roof, but that house was pretty far away from the city and the house itself was pretty low."

"Interesting…describe the nearby surroundings."

"Well, there was an old, falling-apart, ready for demolishment mansion on a hill right next to the small house. The hill was right next to the house, so I'd say maybe 25 meters from the small house to the mansion. The mansion was surrounded by dead trees. Looked like a scene from a cheap horror movie."  
"Hmm…very interesting."  
"Wait." Katsu said, looking at Jun. "Since you are vampire hunters, shouldn't you already know about suspicious locations like that?"

"Nah not really…" Jun replied. "We vampire hunters aren't just reckless killers going around killing vampires just because we 'think it is the right thing to do'. If the vampires stay low profile and don't kill anybody while feeding, then we see no reason to kill them. We only start to hunt a vampire if an alarming number of victims start to arise."

"Oh." _Now that's something I didn't know…_

Katsu looked at Jun, expecting him to say something. "So what are we going to do? I mean how are we going to find out if that girl I saw is a vampire?"

"Oh that, right!" Jun jumped off the bed and did a motion with his hands towards one of the henchmen. "To find out whether or not somebody is a vampire, you simply have to observe them." he explained.

"What do you mean?" Katsu asked, obviously slow with the whole vampire thing.

"You simply follow them, and you observe them until they either bite someone or you think the observation is pointless and she is a human. Of course, only an experienced person can follow a vampire without getting noticed and even most professional hunters have difficulties with being undiscovered because vampires have the upper hand at nighttime."

"So you are saying that we should stalk a 15 year old girl? I'm not a lolicon man." Katsu really wasn't a lolicon. He likes girls that are around his age.

"We don't have to do it…one of our henchmen can do it. They already have completed the basic course of vampire hunting. Observing vampire suspects doesn't require advanced courses."  
"Uhm yeah…so what do we do now?"

"We observe the girl you saw." Jun answered with patience.

"Right…"

"And we should start by investigating that rotten old mansion that you saw."

"Why there?"

"Because I have a hunch that the house and the old mansion you mentioned are a pretty good place to start with our investigation. Where is the mansion anyways?"

Katsu started to think…which direction did he go to last night?

"I think its North from this place."

Jun sighed at Katsu's vague memory. "Well, it's better than nothing. I'll send a group of scouts to look…north of here."

One hour later the scout group reported back. The mansion was pretty easy to find. It is on top of hill…in the middle of a city. It can't get any easier than that. They found both a pathway up the hill and the small apartment house in which Usui and his mother live. Jun ordered the scouts to set up near the mansion and to look for anything suspicious that happens anywhere near or at the mansion.

"Now we are halfway ready" Jun said.  
"Huh? The scouts are ready, what else is there to do?" Katsu asked.  
"Ah kiddo, you really are a newbie to this business huh." Jun looked at Katsu. "Over the centuries, we have discovered that the vampires have the ability to erase the memories of a human through various ways. In the past, they were hunted like animals because they sucked blood and because they had that magic ability to wipe memories. Today, we are much more civilized and we realize that their ability to wipe memories is vital to their survival because if humans knew about the vampires, they would surely be researched for their longer live span and their unique physical attributes."

Katsu had to smile when Jun mentioned research for their longer life span. _So exactly what gramps is doing right now huh. I wonder if Jun knows that gramps is using me to get closer to the secret of a longer life that vampires have. _

"So in order to protect ourselves from getting our memory wiped when following vampires, we need to have weapons to defend ourselves just in case if we get discovered." Jun continued. "These weapons can range from to anything from gummy bears to silver bullets. But honestly the thing with the silver bullet is nothing. Normal bullets are just as effective. Silver bullets just sounds cooler."

"So we are going to load ourselves with weapons when we start tracking the vampire?" Katsu asked.

"Just the a few" Jun replied. "We are gonna have some light handguns loaded with rubber bullets, anesthetics, grenades and flash or stun grenades. For example, we can't just walk around the city with a machine gun and rocket launcher."

"I really don't think we should walk around the city with grenades and handguns either." Katsu said skeptically. "Carrying grenades in the city makes us sound like suicide bombers."

"Nah, it will be alright."

"And I'm just 16 years old. You think that I should be carrying handguns, anesthetics and grenades?"

"Call it self-protection"

"I sound like a terrorist. One strong breeze to lift up my coat, and I will get arrested."

Jun motioned for one of the henchmen. Two other henchmen stepped in with three large suitcases.  
"Let's get you loaded up." Jun grinned.  
The henchmen opened up the suitcases. Katsu's jaw dropped in awe. _This kinda feels like The Matrix_.

--

_Anju is stepping out the mansion_

Anju, deep in depressed thought steps out of the mansion. Normally she would have at least a feeling that she is being watched, but this time however, she only feels her own sorrow. Nearby, a scout is dialing Jun's cell number.

Katsu and Jun are sitting in a nearby Starbucks. Jun's cell rang. Jun picked it up with a smile.

"A girl has left the house." the scout reported.  
Jun's smile widened. "Good, follow her."  
"Roger"

Katsu sat there sipping his java. Waiting for Jun to tell him what is going on. Jun ended the call, put the phone back into his coat. He looked Katsu.  
"Game on" he said with a smirk. They both left Starbucks to join the scout.

Anju is walking towards the park. Lonely men and women usually take long walks in parks. Or at least that's her theory. If she had a computer and knew about the existence of the internet, she could search for places where lonely people hang out. But then again, who would possibly create a website about hangout places for lonely people.

She sighed. Still depressed and deep in thought. She didn't understand. Why does she have to be the only single female vampire? Why does she have the feeling that there is nobody out there? Why do all these random old vampires propose to her? Why can't she find love? She doesn't understand. She feels as if something is missing inside her. She saw how happy her sister was when she found Usui-kun. She was able to smile and laugh from the bottom of her heart. Just hearing Usui-kun's voice made her sister jump with joy. She wondered what this joy feels like.

She arrived at the park. Her bats are flying in the shadows where nobody can see them. She starts to look for a target.

Katsu and Jun have joined up with the scout and are headed towards the park. The scout last saw her walking into the park. The trio decided to go into the park together to search. They didn't split up. The park isn't that big, it can't be that hard to find a little girl in there, Jun thought. They were jogging down the path. Dark trees, orange street lamps. Katsu gave all of it a brief look. _Hah, how original. _

After about ten minutes of jogging, Jun was out of breath. Katsu and the scout barely broke a sweat.

"For a 27 year old, you sure are weak." Katsu said to Jun while he was catching his breath.  
"Can you blame me? My little brother got me addicted to World of Warcraft three months ago."

"I don't play videogames that much…"

"Obviously you never played a good videogame before."

They continued running.

15 minutes later, they saw Anju a hundred meters up ahead. The scout ordered Katsu and Jun to stop.

"I thought I was giving the orders." Jun said to the scout.  
"Yes, but you have been addicted to World of Warcraft for the past three months."  
The scout and Katsu both gave Jun a mean grin.  
"So what should we do now? How do we find out whether or not she is vampire?" Katsu asked.  
Jun gave Katsu a grin. The scout rubbed his neck as if something painful is going to happen to it.  
The trio took a side path and went about 150 meters ahead of Anju. They hid in the trees and Jun explained the plan to Katsu.

"The scout is going to cross paths with that girl with the black dress. If she embraces him and bites him, she is a vampire. If she doesn't do anything, then we will do a few more trials."

"Uhm…that's it?" Katsu asked, a little dumbfounded by the simplicity of the plan.

"Unless you wanna add something to it."  
Katsu didn't say anything.

The scout sighed. "This is gonna be painful" he said.

"Ah, it'll be alright!" Jun said with an encouraging smile. "Oh yes Katsu, one more thing. Put this on"  
He gave Katsu a Halloween mask from last year.  
"Why do we need this?" Katsu asked, not liking the pink fairy mask that Jun gave him.  
"Just in case things get a little exiting." Jun replied with a grin. He probably was enjoying this too much.

The scout hopped out of the bushes and started to walk casually towards Anju. When he was about 100 meters away from her, he sat on a bench. Katsu watched with fascination what was happening. _This like a really bad horror movie, except I get a live performance. _

Anju started walking towards him. Her fangs started to enlarge, her breathing got heavier. She licked her lips in anticipation. But the person the bench wasn't asleep. She stopped 80 meters away from him. She closed her eyes, she started to collect her emotions. She exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. She has put on the cutest face possible. Childlike eyes filled with concern and a certain sense of maturity underneath that. This face is guaranteed to turn every man in the world into a lolicon. Her whole aim with this act was to let her target let his guard down (a new born lolicon is only a by-product) so that she can embrace him without a problem and bite.

But her plan would be successful even if she didn't put on the extremely seductive face.

Having put on her seduction face, she started to walk closer to the scout. The scout noticed her. He sighed. Having two centimeter fangs injected into his neck isn't exactly going to be painless or pleasant. He was genuinely a little depressed. Anju noticed her targets depression, and asked him in a almost freakish childish Voice: "Are you alright mister?".

The scout looked up, but was stunned by Anju's expressions when he was about to answer. Never before has he ever seen anything so…cute.

"Ah, yea…yes" he answered.

"Are you sure mister?" Anju asked with such concern in her eyes that it could break anyone's heart.

The scout just starred at Anju for a second. _Damn, since when did Japan's girls get so cute? And if she is a vampire, since when did vampires master the art of seduction? This isn't fair…_

"But you seem really depressed." Anju said with a sweet voice. She felt really out of character, but this game was kind of fun.

The scout smiled. "Nah I'm alright."

Anju gave him a heartwarming smile and embraced him.

"What are you doi- urgh!  
She bit him.

Even thought this isn't her blood preference, she still enjoyed it. Her breathing became slower and heavier. She started to relax. She sucked the blood slowly, enjoying the warm flow of it. But this blood isn't the best, it's a little too thick to be considered high quality blood, too much oil and sugar. Probably too much McDonald's in the scout's diet. She was so lost in the feeling of blood sucking, that she didn't notice Katsu and Jun emerging from the bushes. Jun had a wide grin on his face. Katsu was still fascinated by the scene before him. _Come to think of it, this is actually kinda erotic._ _And damn, that girl has the ability to turn every guy in the world into a damn lolicon._

Anju continued to slowly suck his blood. After about 20 more seconds, she released him. The poor scouts fell to the ground, unconscious. Anju sighed and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hello vampire." a voice suddenly said from behind her.

Katsu gave Jun a look at that said "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Anju rapidly turned around to see who caught her in the act of blood sucking. She eyed Katsu and Jun angrily. She started to use her bats to surround them. She hated vampire hunters, they are nothing but trouble and a pain every time they show up anywhere. She wished just that they could simply leave the vampire world alone.

Katsu looked around them. He was starting to get nervous. _What the hell is Jun doing? _

"Turn around, close your eyes and run when I saw 'now'" Jun said while looking intensely at Anju. He has never seen such a young vampire before. Not to mention that she is unbelievably cute.

Jun eyed Anju with a huge grin on his face. "Now" he said and dropped a stun grenade. There was a very bright flash.

With closed eyes, Katsu ran into the direction Jun told him to run. Jun closely following him.

Anju was on the ground, unconscious. It seems like that only sunlight burns her. And any other type of intense light makes her dizzy, and ultimately unconscious.

Twenty seconds later, Henry Marker came to save Anju.

* * *

Well this is the massive second chapter. Sorry that it is so long and that not much development happens with Anju, but I wanted to get the other characters (Katsu and Jun) set up before the important development starts to happen. Starting from the next chapter, things should start to get rolling!

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three A Fun Game

**This story is based on the manga. So Anju's blood preference is loneliness and Boogie-kun is still very much alive (yay)**

* * *

**Chapter Three – A Fun Game**

Anju is standing on top of Karin's house. She is in an extremely bad mood. She feels anger, hatred and loneliness. Angry at herself for messing up, hatred for the vampire hunters and loneliness always was with her since Karin and Ren left to start their own new lives.

For days she has been trying to find any clues for the vampire hunters that she encountered in the park a few days ago. She is starting to get desperate, God knows what those vampire hunters want from her. She has told nobody about what exactly happened during that time. Not even Boogie-kun. She just can't face the fact that she, Anju Maaka-a prodigy among vampires, has slipped and her identity of a vampire has slipped out to a human, and not just any human. A vampire hunter. She has told her father and mother that she has sucked some bad blood and hence fainting from that. She doesn't want to worry her parents with her own slip-up. Besides, Henry would tear down half the city if he knew that Anju got attacked by vampire hunters with a stun grenade.

Normally she would go to Ren with her worries, but he wasn't here. He is with Bridget, taking care of their baby, their family. Anju never thought that Ren would actually take responsibility, but then again, Ren should be responsible for what he has done as man, or vampire. She didn't tell Boogie-kun either. He was just way too noisy, and he could easily slip the information when he starts to shout and everybody in the whole mansion could hear it.

Anju stares into the distance while thinking what she could do. She could only move at night, and vampire hunters can move at both day and night. She is playing with a handicap from the very beginning. Anju is replaying the scene from the park over and over again in her head. Looking for any clue that could show where her attackers are based. The person she bit obviously was allied with the vampire hunters and was soon picked up by other partners. Henry only had his mind set on saving unconscious little Anju. He couldn't care less about a little human who fainted.

She sighed. Trying to find a vampire hunter base is like looking for a lonely person among a crowd of depressed people. The difference is just extremely hard to tell. _I don't even know where to start looking for them._

After some thinking she decides to look in the park again, the spot where she got knocked unconscious by the stun grenade. Vampires only get burned in sunlight, but other sources of bright light make them dizzy. And with a blow of light from that stun grenade, it was like getting hit in the head with a bottle. Unconsciousness.

She summoned up her share of bats (Elda, Henry and Calera each controlled a set number of bats) and using them, she started to fly towards the park. Hidden by the shadows of the night. And determined clean up her own mess.

--

Katsu is sitting in his hotel room. He has been here for almost a week. He is starting to wonder where his grandfather is going to get all the cash needed to pay for the bill. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack and hotel costs. How is the old man going to pay all of that? Jun is in the washroom, doing his business, been in there for half an hour. Katsu is starting to wonder what he was doing in there the whole time. Taking a dump can't take that long; he has first hand experience, but then again. Who doesn't?

Jun cell phone started to ring. "Could you get that for me please?" Jun called out from the bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing in there? It doesn't take half an hour to do your crap!"

"I'm a person who likes to think."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just pick up the phone please…"

With a sigh Katsu walked over to the bed and took the cell phone out of Jun's leather coat.

"Who is it?" Katsu asked hesitantly, he never was good with phones. He never knows if it's a friend who's calling whom you can swear at, or if it's a girl's parent whom he has to be nice to. He just prefers to talk with the person directly.

"Where is Jun?" the scout asked.

"Doing something naughty in the toilet."

"Anyways, our vampire has left her current position. She flew away to be more specific"

"What the crap? She flew away?"

"Uhm yes, she seems to be flying towards the park. I just lost sight of her, she is damn good at hiding in the shadows, and she is wearing that black dress…"

"Alright, head over to the park and try to find her again. Jun and I will be there in ten minutes." Katsu instructed the scout, he was getting pretty good at ordering people around after seeing Jun doing it all day.

The scout was silent for a moment. "Roger." He said after a few seconds. He must have been stunned by Katsu's newly developed confidence.

Jun came out of the toilet, leaving the door open. A nauseating stench filled the room. "Let's go!" Jun beamed, feeling much better after taking his dump and leaving Katsu half-conscious.

"What the hell!" Katsu managed to groan while looking for the hotel keys before leaving.

"C'mon let's go Katsu, the vampire is heading towards the park and we have a plan to execute."

Katsu dragged Jun out of the door. He slammed the door hard and took a deep breath. This is the closest he is ever going to get to hell before he dies.

"What's the plan?" Katsu asked after filling his lungs with fresh air.

Jun looked at him with a smirk. "Sex appeal."

"Are you gay or something?" Katsu asked, obviously still affected by Jun's epic bathroom journey.

"According to what we saw, the vampire girl that we saw should be around your age. So 14 to 15 I'd say. I'm not gay or anything, but from what I've seen, you and her would make a pretty good match. So I'm going to do you a little favor." Jun explained.

"What do you mean?" Katsu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Basically you are going to play the shining knight there to save the day, or night in this case." Jun explained. "My henchmen and I are going to attack the cute little girl in the park. Of course other henchmen will seal that area of the park so that civilians won't get involved. You will play the shining hero and save her."

Katsu groaned. _This has just got be the idiotic plan anyone has ever come up with. _

"How am I going to save her huh?" Katsu asked, while trying to find holes in the plan so that he won't have to do anything.

"We are going to inject both of you with a dose of anesthetics." Jun explained. "Of course you will get a much lighter dose and hence you will be able to stand up and walk long before she can do anything. You will then give her a piggyback ride to the read-for-demolishment mansion."

"Why go all through this trouble and do this entire thing?" Katsu asked, he saw no point in this plan.

"Didn't you read the instructions your grandpa gave you?" Jun asked. "On page five it says that you should find out more about the vampire's life and you should bring back blood samples so that he can use them to research the reasons for the biological differences between humans and vampires."

_Hmph, so gramps really does trust me with keeping his little quest of finding a longer life a secret. At least I get to miss some school with this ridiculous search. _

"Wait, when did you read all this?"

"What else was I supposed to do in the toilet?"

Katsu groaned, now he would have to reprint the entire 50 page pdf document.

"So this entire thing is to find out more about this vampire?"

"Why, yes"

"Why do I have to do it? Can't you do it instead? You are a professional after all."

"That's why I'm saying sex appeal. At your age, hormones go crazy, and she is your age after all…"

"Are you suggesting that I should seduce her?"

"Well, if you can seduce her, then you can find out more about her…"

Katsu sighed. _These vampire hunters are beyond hopeless. _

"Well, shall we go?" Jun asked cheerfully, exited to see Katsu in action.

"Wait one second…" Katsu replied. He went back into his room and put on the leather coat that Jun gave him yesterday. A specially designed coat to hide normal and stun grenades as well as a light handgun with rubber bullets. He was fully loaded.

"Let's go." Katsu said. _This is just like The Matrix…Now all that is missing is a good looking Trinity. _

--

Anju is walking towards the spot where she fell unconscious. She hasn't taken Boogie-kun with her for days and he was starting to get suspicious. He knows her well enough to notice when she is trying to hide something. A light breeze came up and she took a deep breath. She should get this done quickly before Boogie-kun finds out and the news spread through the entire vampire network.

She arrived at the bench where she bit the scout. She sat on it and looked for any clue. Under the bench, behind it and on it. Nothing that could give any clue to who the vampire hunters actually were. She decided to search in the direction that the other two hunters came from. Both were wearing masks during that time. One was around her size. Maybe half a head taller than her. The other one seemed older, at least two heads taller than the short one. She looked into the bushes for any clue. A ripped piece of cloth with the scent of one of hunters, a dropped piece of gum, a forgotten silver bullet, anything at all. She sighed angrily. This is the only time she ever slipped, and now it is becoming so difficult to clean up her own mess. _Sis had so much more luck with Usui Kenta. At least he wasn't a vampire hunter who ran away at the end_.

--

Katsu and Jun were heading towards the park along with a henchmen. Due to the oil crisis, the Vampire Hunter Guild decided to cut down on car transport, which forced Katsu, Jun and the henchmen to run to the park. No driving. The Vampire Hunter Guild always was short on money anyway. And this new increase in gas prices saves a lot of money.

"Why can't cars run on electricity or something." Jun panted.

"You just don't want to run…" Katsu replied conceitedly. "You play too much World of Warcraft. Look at me, I play basketball and this little bit of running is nothing."

"I don't play basketball…" Jun said, struggling with keeping up with Katsu

The henchmen weren't much faster than Jun. Maybe they are addicted to _Lord of the Rings: Online._

They arrive at the park. Jun flipped open his cell phone and called one of the nearby scouts.

"Where is she?" he asked straight away.

"Near the bench where I got bit." the scout replied.

"To bench 12!" Jun told the henchmen, and they quickly split into three smaller groups. Four in each. Katsu was impressed by their organization.

"For a bunch online games addicts, they sure are organized when it comes to running and hunting." Katsu said to Jun.

"Our organization doesn't train them for nothing." Jun replied with a smug.

"So we should go the bench from last time?" Katsu asked.

"We will go a bit further away from that." Jun replied. "You have to play the knight in shining armor remember? So you have to stay out of sight and bust into the scene at the last minute."

"And then your henchmen will inject anesthetics into me?"

Jun nodded.

Katsu winced.

"Of course you will be injected with a much lighter dose than our fellow vampire." Jun explained. "So you will be able to walk again just a few minutes after our henchmen leave. Our vampire will be like paralyzed for at least an hour."

"And you make me do all this just to get more information out of her?" Katsu sighed.

Jun nodded.

Katsu let out a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess we should go".

--

Anju decided to go back to the bench. She searched in the surrounding areas and found nothing. Maybe if I sit down, the fresh night air will open up new ideas, she thought. She sat there thinking. It's the first time she felt such a deep melancholy since Karin had her memory erased. Her deep dark eyes stare at the ground, lost in thought, thinking about what she should do, momentarily sealed off from the outside world. She doesn't notice three groups of four men dressed in black approaching her from three different directions.

Only after they have surrounded her, did she notice that she was trapped. She turned in a circle to see how many she was up against. She eyed each of the henchmen intensely. _Cowardly, damned vampire hunters. Attack in packs like wolfs._

"What do you want?" she asked in a solemn tone. Giving each henchman a intense Stare of Doom. None of the henchmen answered. They were scared stiff by Anju's stare. Most of them haven't even met a vampire before, and meeting a vampire prodigy isn't exactly a good start. One of them draw out a gun, the others drew out fire extinguisher like bottles.

Anju couldn't help but smile to herself. _At least in the past vampire hunters put pride in their work, or so grandma told me. _From the shadow of the tress, she summoned every bat that belonged to the Maaka family. Her smile widened.

"Bats!" one of the henchmen shouted, and all of them opened up their gas bottles and pointed them towards the bats. Within seconds, every bat was either dead or dying.

"You bastards…" Anju whispered. She was shaking with anger. How dare they slaughter her previous bats without any regard. No wonder so many species are extinct now.

"Calm down" the henchmen with the gun said, and pulled the trigger. A rubber bullet hit Anju's right shoulder.

"Ahh! Urgh!" Anju knelled down, holding her right shoulder. The impact of the bullet caused her to nearly fall down. She has never felt such pain before. She breathed in slowly and slowly stood up. The hunter was still pointing the gun at her. She turned around to see what other options she had left. The henchmen were surrounding her, every escape path was sealed off. They could finish her off right now. She had lost all her bats and her body was too small to fight physically. And for the first time since Karin got kidnapped, she started to panic. _What are they waiting for? _

200 meters away, Katsu and Jun were safely hiding in the bushes, watching the drama unfold itself through night vision goggles.

"You sure what we are doing is legal?" Katsu asked. "I mean, shooting rubber bullets at a girl isn't exactly…"

"I think the law only covers human abuse; I don't think it covers vampires." Jun answered with a smug.

"How long are we going to keep watching?" Katsu asked nervously, not liking the idea of having to directly make contact with a vampire after it has been attacked by humans.

"You will go after our henchman has shot her once." Jun explained, Katsu grimaced. "I will stay here and enjoy the drama. I'm sure you have polished up your acting skills?"

"What should I do?" Katsu asked, having a bad feeling about the entire plan.

"Aha, you will shot down one of the henchmen with a rubber bullet and enter the circle. The you will protect her. You and her will both get injected with anesthetics. After you can move again, you will carry her to the read-for-demolishment mansion."

"What should I do after I bring her home?"

"If your lucky, she won't let you enter and you can get the hell out of there. If you're very lucky she will let you enter the house and you can spy?"

"How will I get out?" Katsu asked, not liking at all where the plan was going. He was way too much of a carefree guy to do this kind of tight operation.

"A big flash and bang, if you know what I mean." Jun answered with a grin.

Katsu sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

A gun shot sounded. "Go do your thing Romeo" Jun said and pushed Katsu out of the save bushes.

Anju looked at her current situation, in panic. There was no way out. By the time her father is attending the annual vampire meeting, and her mother is still sleeping. Was she going to die?

A gunshot sounded. Anju stood still. She was readying herself for the pain to come. The pain never came. Instead one of the henchmen collapsed with a groan.

"What the hell is going on?" an angry voices sounded. It was Katsu, with his best acting skills. He ran into the circle and stood there facing the henchmen.

He turned around. "Are you alright?" Katsu asked Anju with a slightly panicked voice.

Anju didn't say anything. She just looked at him, eyes wide open. They were full of surprise.

Something penetrated her back. Something thin and long. A numb feeling quickly spread through her entire body. She gasped before she lost all feelings in her legs and fell to the ground. Face first. She felt another body collapse on top of hers. She wanted to turn around to see who he was, but her head wouldn't move. She heard the henchmen run away. _Cowards. _

* * *

Yep and finally the third chapter is out. Sorry that the end of this chapter seems kind of rushed,but I wanted to push this out before I get drowned in the upcoming homework wave (Nuclear Power Physics Essay, History WWII Essay, Geography Urban Development Research Essay and other upcoming assignments all of which are very important), so the next chapter might take a little a tiny while (I love telling a story, so I will use every bit of spare time to write).

Thanks for reading!_  
_


	4. Chapter Four A Fun Game 2

**This story is based on the manga. So Anju's blood preference is loneliness and Boogie-kun is still very much alive (yay)**

* * *

**A Fun Game (2)**

Anju lay there face down with Katsu on top of her. Katsu was pretty heavy and Anju's body wasn't exactly the athletic type.

"You alright?" Katsu asked. He couldn't do anything either, and he didn't exactly aim for landing on top of a girl. If anybody passed, they would call him a rapist and he would he arrested straight away.

Anju couldn't respond, her face was painfully on the ground.

"Did they hurt you?" Katsu asked with concern in his voice. He didn't realize that Anju couldn't answer.

Anju started feeling a perplexing sense of security when she heard that. Whoever her rescuer is, she found that he had quite a charming voice. This is the first time that she felt enticed just to someone's voice.

Two more minutes passed in silence. The anesthetics started to wear off on Katsu. He got a much lighter dose than Anju, and his body was larger and heavier. He groaned, stood up and stretched.

"Damn that felt good." Katsu said out loud. Still not hearing a response he turned around to see what is wrong with the vampire that is supposed to save. He saw Anju on the ground face down. _That looks like a really painful position to fall…_

He walked over to her, grabbed both of her shoulder and turned her around. He was stunned by what he saw. He looked at her long beautiful tresses and the matching Lolita dress. _I think I understand lolicons a little better now…_

But her outfit and long tresses aren't what surprised him the most. He looked at her eyes. He stared at Anju's solemn eyes for a few second. Never before has he seen such beautiful eyes. The intense seriousness, yet there is a slight hint of seductiveness. Combined with the long, dark eyelashes, they were the most beautiful and mysterious thing he ever saw. He felt being drawn into the deep eyes, as if he could simply lose himself by gazing into them.

"Who are you?" Anju asked with a solemn tone. She didn't like being stared at while her body was paralyzed. Too dangerous.

Her sudden question pulled Katsu out of his trance. "Uhm…yes, yea right" Katsu stuttered. He grabbed both of Anju's arms and pulled her up, only to let her go again, causing her to automatically fall to the ground. "What are you doing?" Anju asked, sounding irritated. She felt tempted to give her 'rescuer' her Stare of Doom. She didn't like being toyed around.

Katsu was still a little in his trance. He still stared at Anju. There was something about her that got him nervous and exited at the same time. He blinked, rubbed his eyes and shook his head a few times.

"Oh right, I'm Katsu Takahashi. Nice to meet you." Katsu said with a smile.

Anju didn't reply. There was something about Katsu that perplexed her. Maybe it's his voice? Or his gestures? Or because of the whole situation? She wasn't sure.

What she felt was the most perplexing was the sudden sense of security she felt when Katsu turned her around. She knew that she wasn't safe and that the vampire hunters could return at any time to finish her. She also didn't understand why they have run away in the first place. She wondered if her charming rescuer and the vampire hunters were allied, but she decided that she should get herself out of this place first before worrying about other things. _Survival first, revenge later. _

Katsu continued to look at her lying on the ground and sighed. _Hopefully she is light. _He knelled down, one arm under her shoulder, one arm under her knees, lifted her up and started to carry her towards the bench.

"What are you doing?" Anju asked suspiciously. As long as she has no control of her body, she can't control her bats. She felt extremely vulnerable, but somewhat safe at the same time.

He set her down on the bench and dropped himself next to her. The anesthetics still got him a little, a felt pretty weak.

"Just give me a sec" Katsu said while catching his breath. "I'll bring you home as soon as I regain my energy."

"You don't know where I live" Anju said with her usual emotionless voice.

Katsu gave her a quirky smile. "Trust me, I will know." He wasn't sure whether or not it was safe to act smart with a vampire who looked so cute yet so solemn at the same time. He decided to take his chances, he just couldn't help himself. He started to feel a certain thrill for this little game, mainly because this is the first time where he felt that he has the upper hand over a girl.

He bent down in front of her and wrapped his arms around her lower legs. With one swift motion he stood up with Anju safely on his back. Katsu was surprised at how light Anju was. He expected her to be much heavier.

"Well then, let's go" Katsu said and started to walk in the direction towards the mansion. After a while Anju started to notice that they were actually heading towards the right direction, and that her numbness still hasn't gone while Katsu already had the strength to carry her.

"How do you know that this is the right direction?" Anju asked him.

Katsu didn't say anything for a second. He hasn't exactly thought of that. He couldn't tell her that an entire group vampire hunters has helped him spy on her. He needed to buy himself some time.

"Well…" Katsu replied slowly, thoughts racing through his mind trying to come up with a decent lie.

"How do you know?" Anju asked again, this time even more solemn tone

"Uhh…" Katsu stuttered. _Damn this girl pushing me hard. _Katsu himself was surprised that he couldn't think of a decent lie to answer her question. He is the type of guy who could talk himself out of almost any situation.

"You just look like the type of person to live in a old house like that" Katsu blurted out. _Damn this lie sucks…but it should cover me up for now._

"What do you mean?" Anju asked, sounding slightly offended. _I'm going to wipe his mind of his memories of me as soon as I regain control of my body. _

"Uhm…I just mean that you look like to live in there." Katsu said. "I have never seen you around in the neighborhood before, so I figured you must live in there since I don't know who lives in there. I practically know everybody in this neighborhood." Katsu himself knew that this was impossible. Tokyo has a population of over 35 million. Knowing everybody in a single neighborhood is impossible.

"You're saying that you grew up here?" Anju asked him.

"Yeah" _Phew, she seems to be buying it. _

They both didn't day anything for a few minutes. Katsu's arms started to get tired.

"Uhh…so what's your name?" Katsu asked casually, trying to end the awkward silence.

Anju considered her answer for a few seconds. She wondered whether it was save to tell this person named Katsu her name. She laid her head on his shoulder, feeling his warmth. She inhaled Katsu's scent. She found it to be quite pleasant. _This person's blood must be delicious. _She smiled a devilish smile to herself. She considered biting Katsu from the back when she regained control of her body.

"My name is Anju Maaka" Anju answered with no emotion.

"Anju Maaka…" Katsu repeated to himself. _This girl doesn't show any emotion does she. _

"How old are you?" Katsu asked casually again. He wondered if it was true that vampires can grow very old._ Maybe this Anju girl on my back is over 50 years old. That would explain her long silvery tresses. _

Anju didn't say anything for a few seconds. _Little Katsu is pushing his luck_ she thought to herself with a freakish smile that only Anju could manage.

"How old are you?" Katsu asked again. "You already told me your name, might as well tell me your age."

"Isn't it rude to ask a lady of her age?" Anju answered no emotion while smiling devilishly. She really liked Katsu's scent. Even though she isn't thirsty, she wants to taste his blood.

"Is that why you wear that huge dress? To be more ladylike?" Katsu returned with a smirk on his face, knowing that Anju couldn't see him. _I'm not going to lose to a girl – vampire or not- in terms of comebacks. _He didn't realize that Anju was dodging the question.

"This is simply what I like" Anju answered, still with no emotion.

Stalemate settled in. Katsu started to climb the hill to the ready-for-demolishment mansion. He started to sweat, which mixed in with his scent.

"You want to take a break?" Anju asked with no emotion, mainly concerned because she didn't like how the sweat was spoiling Katsu's scent.

"Nah, it's alright" Katsu replied. "We nearly reached the top anyway." He could already see the front door.

Katsu started to wonder if this vampire was playing with him and would knock him out as soon as she got the free ride back home. "Can you move your body?" Katsu asked.

"I can't…"

"Oh…" _Dang, just how large was the dose that Jun shot into her? _

They were ten meters away from the door. Katsu raised his head to see how much further it was. He could see the door, and a bearded guy with pointed chin and spiky hair. It was Henry.

* * *

And finally the fourth chapter is out. Sorry for the long wait, but I've been as busy as hell in the last week or so. Major essay assignments, house shopping and school scouting in Beijing and I still have a physics lab report to write...from scratch. Hopefully I passed the entrance exam for Dulwich. Anyways, I should get a little breather once I'm done with the lab report and I will use that time to write as many chapters as my keyboard lets me. By the way, I kind of noticed that my chapters were getting too long, so I will try to keep each update around 2000 words.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter Five The Miserable Escape

**The Upper Hand**

Katsu looked up and saw Henry. Henry gave Katsu a piercing stare. Katsu eyed him intensely. _Oh what the crap, who is that, supposed to be?_

Katsu walked on with Anju on his back silently. Anju could almost feel the killing aura that Henry had.

"Welcome home." Henry said with a solemn tone. He wasn't happy with his daughter getting attacked. He would have helped her, but when Anju was getting surrounded, he was still snoring in his coffin. Calera has been thinking about having another child, she has been talking to Henry all night long about it. He couldn't get a wink of sleep.

"Oh hi!" Katsu replied with an awkward smile. He couldn't help but feel extremely pessimistic about the whole idea of going into a mansion full of vampires all alone. And those vampires probably were physically superior than him.

Without another word, Henry opened the door to allow Katsu with Anju on his back in. As Katsu walked past Henry, Anju made eye contact with her father for a moment. Anju couldn't help but smile a little. _I see, father is going to trap this Katsu person and then take care of him. _Meanwhile, a thousand thoughts were racing through Katsu's mind. He never thought that getting into the mansion would be so easy, now he had no idea how to get out of it. He considered using brute force, meaning flash bangs and grenades, to get out, but he thought that was too…uncivilized and the vampires could find out about his relations with the vampire hunters if he used the same weapons as they did.

Katsu walked into the living room and marveled at the unique furniture of the Maaka family's living room. _Don't see much of this stuff around in Japan. _

He unloaded Anju on the Sofa and sat down next to her. "How ya felling?" he asked casually while observing the room. He saw Henry closing the door. _About 15 to 20 steps to the door. Maybe I will need to use a grenade to open that massive door. The room is pretty dark, a flash bang would help out a lot no matter if they are vampires or not. _

Anju tried moving her arms. "A little better" she replied emotionlessly. "Most of the numbness is gone".

"Oh ok…" Katsu replied. He looked around and noticed that all the curtains were shut tightly and that there was not a single lit light in the whole room. _I guess vampires don't like light much huh. _

Henry sat down on a chair across the sofa where Anju was laying. Calera came out of one of the rooms and sat down on the second sofa. Katsu observed both of the parents. He couldn't help but feel that both parents were complete opposites of each other. One long and thin, the other wider and shorter. _Oh great, now the entire family showed up…that's some hole I got myself into…_

"Hello, my name is Henry Maaka. Father of the lady you just saved. And this is my wife Calera." Henry introduced himself and Calera.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Katsu Takahashi." Katsu replied, hoping that they wouldn't want to shake hands with him, who knows what supernatural abilities vampires could have.

"So…what happened to our daughter?" Henry asked, fully aware of what happened in the park, after the bats reported it to him.

"Yeah…your daughter got surrounded by a gang of rapists or thugs, you know. And then I just busted and kinda saved her…yea…" Katsu answered slowly, at the same time thinking about specific points to lie about so that he can dodge being suspected as working together with the vampire hunters.

"And you fought them off all by yourself?" Calera asked with a devilish smile.

"Uhh..." Katsu stuttered. _Heh, trying to corner my already huh. Base my lies on the truth, easier to lie that way…and there is dang witness next to me…_

"To be honest Ma'am, I'm not too sure myself." Katsu replied politely. He didn't want to risk getting himself even deeper into the hole by being cocky. "Everything happened so fast, it is quite difficult to remember what happened. Maybe Anju knows more, she was targeted in the first place." _Let the Lolita talk, I need time to think. Having a dang witness is troublesome. _

"Can you talk?" Henry asked Anju, sounding concerned.

Anju moved her arms and legs, and slowly sat up. "I think I'm fine…" she replied quietly and with emotion. She got off the sofa and walked a few meters before stopping. "The thing that made my body go numb has worn off." she said quietly.

"Anesthetics." Katsu said.

Anju gave him a questioning look.

"The thing that made your body go numb is called anesthetics." Katsu said.

"Oh…"

A few moments passed. Anju started walking upstairs to get Boogie-kun, she felt saver with him in her arms.

"Where are you going?" Katsu asked, afraid that she is going to get some sort of weapon.

"I'll be back in a moment." Anju replied with looking.

An awkward silence settled between Katsu, Henry and Calera. Katsu started to shift uncomfortably. He wanted to get out of the mansion as quick as possible. He thought about using the element of surprise and dropping a flash grenade with no warning, but Anju came back down before he could seriously consider that thought. She sat down next to Katsu again, mostly because she is drawn to his scent, which didn't exactly make Henry happy. Katsu raised an eyebrow when he saw Anju carrying a creepy doll with a butcher knife in his left hand.

"So what happened at the park Anju?" Henry asked his daughter.

"Well, I was going through the park, thinking about what I should eat for dinner when suddenly some masked people started to walk behind me. A little later masked people came from the front and then they surrounded me. When they started pointing guns at me, Katsu here busted into the circle and tried to protect me. One of the masked men injected me with the thing that makes me go numb and I fell to the ground. Katsu got shot too and fell on top of me". She could almost hear her father's instant thoughts of killing Katsu.

_The stuff that makes you go numb is called anesthetics_, Katsu thought to himself. A silence settled in. Katsu looked at each member of the family. Nobody said anything. Katsu look around, trying to figure a way out. _C'mon, there's got be a way out of here!_ He put his hands into his pockets and touched the portable wiretap that he always kept with him. He has been using that since middle-school and it helped him spy on many people (mostly girls though…girls that he lusted after). He reached into his other pocket. He found the receiver with earbuds and volume control. He little smiled formed on the corners of his mouth. He casually took his hands out of his pockets and placed the little wiretap device behind his back.

"Uhm..excuse me, where is the bathroom?" Katsu asked.

"Oh, down the hall, fourth door to the left." Henry answered quickly. Katsu thanked him and started to walk towards the toilet. He entered, closed the door and turned on the receiver. He turned the volume to the lowest (he wondered if a vampire's hearing is good) and hoped that the wiretap was undamaged and could still transmit. For a few seconds there was a buzzing sound and then the wiretap started to transmit.

"What do you think Anju?" he heard Calera ask.

"I don't know…" Anju answered. Katsu thought that her voice was much clearer than Calera's. _She must be sitting pretty close to the wiretap. Let's pray that she doesn't look down on the sofa.  
_

"I say we wipe his memory while it is still possible and be done with it." Henry said. Katsu raised an eyebrow. _Wipe my memory? What the hell…  
_

"I agree" Calera said. "He knew where our house was, he is a threat that must be dealt with."

"He said he knew everybody in this area very well." Anju said. "He said that he never saw me before and he didn't know who lived in his mansion, so he thought that I must be living up here."

Katsu raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but smile a little. _Hmm…maybe I do have sex appeal. _

"No." he heard Henry say. "He is way too suspicious. Why would vampire hunters run away when a little boy is interfering? For all we know, he could be a spy! Furthermore, he was able to pass through the barrier!"

"That's because I was on his back" Anju countered.

There was silence for a few moments.

"Fine." Anju said. "But at least let me suck his blood first before we wipe him."

"Didn't you just feed a few nights ago?" Calera asked with some smugness in her voice.  
Katsu started to get nervous. _She plans to suck my blood and wipe my memory? Dude, cut me some slack. _He started to look around in the bathroom, looking for a way to escape. He looked to the sides for a second door out. He looked up and saw a small window. Katsu smiled to himself. _Somebody up there liked me. _  
He turned off the receiver and looked around for stuff to pile up so that he can reach the small window. Vampires rarely need to go to the toilet as they only drink blood and some water. The only thing Katsu found was an old metal bucket. He put it upside down the toilet bowl and started to climb up. It wasn't high enough. Another 15 centimeters separated Katsu from the window. He swore to himself and looked down for anything else he could use. Nothing. He looked up at the window again. He decided to jump. The bucket noisily fell to the ground.

"Damn it."

All three Maakas heard the loud noise that came from the toilet.

"What was that?" Calera asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"I'll go check." Henry said. He started walking towards the bathroom.

Katsu was hanging with one hand on the edge of the window. The other was trying to figure out the mechanics of the window. _Damn I have to hurry up before they realize that I'm up to something. _He turned the handle upwards and pushed it outwards, really difficult to do with only one hand and hanging on the edge. With a grunt, Katsu pulled himself up with both hands and climbed out of the window. He never thought that one day the hours of Three-pointer drills would save his memory.

He landed on his side. The fall was only one meter.

Henry knocked on the bathroom door. No reply. He knocked again.

"Takahashi?" he called out. No reply. He tried opening the door, it was locked.

Henry decided to open the door with brute force and took two steps back. Screaming he busted open the door. All he saw was a metal bucket on the floor and an open window. "Damn him…" Henry growled.

Katsu ran down the hill as fast as he could. At first he couldn't find the path downhill and ran into some trees (which was a very painful experience). _I'm really lucky._ He arrived at the bottom of the hill and started to run towards the streets. He took the first taxi that he saw.

Henry returned to the living room. Anju and Calera immediately noticed that some was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Calera asked.

"That Takahashi…climbed out of the window." Henry replied.

All three of them went silent. They didn't know what to do. Finding a single person in Tokyo (largest city in the world) would be harder than finding a needle in a hay stack.

"What's the plan then?" Calera asked.

Anju looked up; she had an almost devilish smile playing on the corners of her mouth. "We hunt him down".

Anju wanted his blood.

* * *

Well and this is the fifth chapter. Finally some development ey? I finished this chapter with my glasses broken from playing basketball afterscholl and a fresh cut under my left eye. I'm just glad that no glass got into my eye and my cut. A scar might be left though...And I will be getting my Personal Project back sometime this week! The grade I get for this assignment wil either make me or break me. Oh, and by the way, which word count is more accurate? The one on or Word 07? 'Cuz on Word 07 it says this chapter is 2010 words long but in the document editor on it says its 2219 words...Weird. Expect the next chapter really soon!

And as always,

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter Six Kidnapping Karin

**Chapter Six- Kidnapping Karin**

It has been 12 hours since Katsu managed to escape from the Maaka mansion. He is back in the hostel, talking about what happened with Jun.

"You sure you didn't give them any kind of clue to where you could live?" Jun asked again, worried that the vampires could find Katsu little hostel room.

"I just lied to them that I have been living in this area since I was born, that's all." Katsu replied.

"And you told them that because…"

"Because I needed a reason to know where she lived."

"How does that relate to anything?..."

"If I lived in the area for a long time, I told her that I would know where everybody lives. I know where everybody lives except her, and hence I lied that I concluded that she would live in the only house of which I didn't know who lived in it."

"And she actually believed that?" Jun frowned. "It's impossible to know everybody even in a small neighbor here. Tokyo is the biggest city in the world."

"I guess vampires aren't good at geography." Katsu said with a smug. And that is partially true. Anju didn't have geography before she had to leave the human school she attended.

"And you say they wanted to erase your memory, and you then escaped by simply climbing out of the bathroom window?"

"There weren't that many other windows around."

Jun sighed. "The problem is that you have escaped without saying anything to them. You are now targeted too Katsu"

"What?"

"There is a high probability that they think that you are some sort of spy, since you fled out of the bathroom window. They most likely also have discovered your little wiretap."

Katsu gulped. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Jun folded his arms and started to look at the ground. "The problem is that YOU are targeted, since you are the one who has got to get closer to the vampires for your grandpa's research. By escaping in such a suspicious way, you have lost their trust."

"So are you suggesting that I did the wrong thing by escaping?" Katsu asked, slightly annoyed.

"No, no! I didn't mean that. If you didn't escape, you most likely would have gotten your memory wiped; I'm just saying that if we want to get further with those vampires, we need to regain their trust."

"And how do we do that?"

Jun smiled. He unfolded his arms, stood up and walked over to his suitcase. He opened it and pulled out a picture of a young woman with shoulder length hair and big eyes. It was Karin.

"According to our scouts, this young woman called Usui Karin is very important to our little vampire."

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Jun smiled devilishly. "This little Anju vampire has been noted to be quite close to this woman called Karin. Our scouts have seen her standing quite often on the roof of Karin's house. Also she bears a very faint similarity with her, so I'm speculating that these two might somehow be related."

"So what are you suggesting?"

Jun's smile widened. "We rebuild the trust by kidnapping this woman that seems to be so dear to our little Anju!"

Katsu put on a face that said "There is no way in hell I'm getting anywhere near Anju".

"Just listen for a sec." Jun said when he saw Katsu's face. "It isn't you that is going to be kidnapping Karin. You will be the one saving her."

Katsu frowned. "Dude, Jun. Look. Back there, if I didn't escape, they would have wiped my memory. What makes you so sure that she won't do it as soon as she sees me?"

Jun's lips formed a little smile. "Well, you two do make a good match."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Jun sighed. "Dude, don't worry. If she wipes your memory then I will be there to tell you about whatever you have forgotten. If you want to, you can make a video message for yourself in case I get caught too. Just take it easy"

"It isn't your memory that will get wiped…"

Both were silent for a few moments. Katsu was thinking about what he should do. He then remembered how he heard Anju defend him by saying that he knew where everything was. And that he was able to get through the barrier because she was on his back. _Hmm…if she saw me as a threat and wanted to get my memory erased, then she wouldn't have said that. What's that barrier thing anyway? _

"Alright, alright…what is the plan then?" Katsu asked. The fact that he would be able to see Anju again was inducing. Even if it meant that there is a possibility that he will lose some of his memory. And losing part of your memory is really like losing part of who oneself is. _I'll probably regret going through this, but oh well. _

Jun grinned.

They spend the next two hours discussing the best ways to simulate the Karin kidnapping act, and the best places to actually surround her.

--

Anju is walking through the night streets of Tokyo. She has been searching for Katsu for a few days. She is felt angry at herself for all the slip-ups she made recently and the defeats she suffered. She can't find the vampire hunters who have discovered her identity and she hasn't able to track down Katsu. She hasn't told Henry that it was vampire hunters who have used a flash bang on her a few days ago. He still believed that she has sucked some bad blood and fainted from that. If he found out, he will most likely move the family away from the city. Anju wanted to stay as close to Karin as possible. She wanted to watch over her sister. A vampire hunter alone may be weak, but in larger numbers they could even take Elda down.

Karin walked out of the grocery store. She looked at her watch. Two more hours until Kenta-kun would come back from his classes. She would take the groceries back to Fumio-san's place and help her make dinner. She couldn't help but smile a little when she thought of Kenta-kun. _Hopefully his classes won't make him to hungry. Studying with a growling stomach isn't healthy. _She started walking home.

Anju followed her sister, hiding herself in the darkness. She carefully followed her sister, by flying from rooftop to rooftop and hiding in dark alleys. Every time she saw Karin, she couldn't help but feel a little pit of self pity. She knew that Karin was happy with Kenta and that they were going to get married soon. But she couldn't help but feel that she is missing something herself. That happiness that Karin felt when she was with Usui-kun, she wanted to feel it too. _Onee-chan, I wonder what this happiness is that you feel. _She wanted to go up to Karin and ask her directly, but she knew that it wasn't possible. Letting Karin see her could trigger a chain of reaction and Karin could recall all of her sealed memories. If bad goes worse, the sudden restoration of a lifetime worth of memories could put her into a comma.  
She watched her sister humming the song _Yume No Shizuku_ while going to Fumio-san's apartment. Without noticing, Anju started to hum the song herself.

--

Katsu and Jun were hiding in the trees near Fumio-san's apartment. They have been there for over two hours now.

"Why are we lurking around this apartment house if this Karin is living the newer apartment north of here?" Katsu asked.

"Our scouts have reported that she mostly goes here to make dinner with someone called Fumio and her fiancé Usui Kenta." Jun answered.

"You know, we have been waiting here for two hours. You do realize that some women have the tendency to forget about time if there s a shop within 100 meter radius." Katsu said, sick of waiting.

"Everything has its price…"

"Tch…"  
Both sat there silent for a while.

"By the way, what am I supposed to do after I have 'rescued' Karin?" Katsu asked.

"Oh right that…". Jun started fumbling around in his backpack and drew out a bottle of water and some pills.

"Take these." He handed them to Katsu.

"Am I supposed to swallow these pills?" Katsu asked. He didn't like pills, not after all those horror movies watched where random pills turn people into mutants.

"This is an antidote to prevent you from fainting if she decides to bite you." Jun explained. "Vampires usually don't suck enough blood to make somebody lose consciousness, but in order to make it easier to erase someone's memories, their fangs inject a little poison into the victim to make him faint."

Katsu looked at the yellowish pill closely. "And this is supposed to counter the poison?"

"Yup." Jun answered with confidence. Actually he had no idea if the drug actually worked. No one was willing to take the drug and vampires obviously wouldn't bite rats. But he decided it would be better not to tell Katsu about that.

Katsu took the pill and swallowed it down with some water.

"Oh right and another thing." Jun said. He took out the book _Flirting Psychology-101 Ways to Conquer any Heart._

Katsu read the title and raised an skeptically raised an eyebrow. "What the crap am I supposed to do with this? You want me to flirt with the little vampire?"

"Well if you can charm her, then it will be easier to make the research for your grandpa and there is a lower chance of you getting mind wiped."

"Gee, thanks…"

Katsu flipped past the introduction, table of contents and went straight to the chapter one: The Very Basics. He starting reading the first few pages. It was the best book he ever read.

"So basically I have to say her name at least two times when we first meet and I can't always hold the same position with my arms and body, but I have to keep changing positions to show that I am active."

"Why you are a fast learner." Jun said with a smile.

"I already knew all of this anyway, but this is so much more detailed!" Katsu said.

"Hmm, I should consider reading this one…"

They both went silent again. After a few minutes they started hearing footsteps approaching. Jun put on his night vision goggles. "It's her." he said quietly.

"Karin?"

"Yeah. Game on."

--

Karin has switched songs and was humming _When You're Gone_. She has bought some steaks for Usui-Kun. _Hopefully lots of protein will give him more energy._ She didn't notice the bat that was hanging from a nearby tree. She was about to climb up the stairs when three masked men came from behind the house and grabbed her.

"HEL-" Karin managed to scream before one of them put a white cloth over her mouth. The other two had their knives out and were pointing them at her.

Katsu and Jun were watching the whole scene from the bushes.

"You really think that it is alright if we do this?" Katsu asked while watching the dramatic scene unfold itself.

"Well you better go and rescue her or else the henchmen won't know what do to without you stepping in."

"Tch…"

--

Anju sat in the park. She enjoyed sitting there alone during nighttime. A lot of memories connect her to this place. She is using one of her bats to watch her sister go home. Suddenly three masked men, who liked the ones who tried to capture her. She scowled. _Damn spineless cowards…_  
Boogie-kun looked up. "What's wrong girlie?"

Without answering, Anju summoned her bats and started to fly towards the scene as fast as she could.

Katsu jumped out of the bushes and pulled out his rubber bullet gun.

"What the hell is going on!" he shouted. He pointed the gun at one of the henchmen. This is the first time Katsu ever held a gun in his hands. Let alone point one at someone.  
Karin was kicking the henchmen holding her and trying to bite him through the cloth he was holding in front of her mouth. The henchmen yelled out in pain and swore at her. Katsu didn't know what to do. He thought that it would be best to wait for Anju to come to the scene and let her see him recue Karin, but what guarantee did he have that Anju will even come.

A few moments later Anju arrived at the scene. She quickly hid behind some trees when she saw how active her sister was. Her eyes scanned the scene and she saw Katsu pointing a gun towards either the henchmen or her sister. She wasn't sure, it was hard for her to tell from the angle she is watching. She wanted to help Karin by using her bats to knock out the henchmen, but she was afraid that if Karin saw bats do this kind of thing, it could be the trigger to releasing her sealed off memories. _What is this Katsu person doing here? And why does he have a gun?_

"If you don't let her go, I will pull the trigger!" Katsu shouted.

The henchmen continued to hold Karin. They knew that Katsu's gun had rubber bullets and that they won't get hurt. The only thing they were worried about is if Katsu could even handle a gun, let alone hit what he is aiming for.

Katsu decided that he has waiting long enough for Anju to come and pulled the trigger. He hit the second henchman who was pointing a knife at Karin. He screamed in pain. Katsu wondered if it really was that painful or if that was still part of the plan.

He pulled the trigger a second time and hit the third henchman's right shoulder. He let out a short cry and fell to the ground. Katsu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. _Damn, their acting is pretty good.  
_

The henchman holding Karin kicked her away and quickly dragged his 'fallen' comrades off. Katsu dropped the gun and ran towards Karin. She lay there on the ground, crying. Katsu kneeled down to have a closer look at her. _She does share a certain similarity with Anju._

"Are you alright?" Katsu asked her. "They are gone now."

"Th-Thank you" Karin managed to say between her sobs. "I was so scared". She looked up and was surprised to see that her rescuer was a young man, somewhere around 16 years old. Katsu stood up to pick her up. He offered her his hand and pulled her up.

"I'm Katsu Takahashi, nice to meet you." he said with a smile.

"I'm Karin Maaka. Thank you for saving me". Katsu's eyes widened in surprise when she said that. _A Maaka too huh._

Katsu helped her walk to Fumio-san's house, and helped her walk up the stairs. They had to ring the bell several times before Fumio-san opened up the door. She fell asleep whilewatching a drama show on TV. Both of them thanked Katsu several times for rescuing Karin and wanted to invite him for dinner. He thankfully declined and started to walk down the stairs. When he heard that they have closed the door, he let out a sigh of relief. _Am I glad that is over with, and no Anju in sight. _

He climbed down the stairs and started to walk away from the apartment house and towards the city. As soon as the apartment was out of sight, Anju came out of the shadows of the trees and appeared right in front of Katsu. She gave him a solemn stare.

"HOLY SHI-" Katsu yelled. "You just came out of nowhere! What hell!". He then recognized that it was Anju. He swallowed, took a deep breath and calmed himself down. _Ok…calm down, I gotta handle this smoothly. _

Anju started walking towards Katsu. "I need to talk to you."

* * *

Yup, and finally I managed to get the sixth chapter done. Moderation week is over and all the teachers are really slack with homework now. I think I should build up my vocabulary by reading more classics like _Wuthering Heights _so that I can give every scene the exact feeling I want it to have. But damn, that's hard. And I got a biology essay about genetic engineering due in 2 weeks (lol). If anybody would want to, you email me a list of words that would be good to describe situations, feelings and reactions of characters. Easy words like 'scowling' to more difficult ones like 'nostalgic' are all fine. I would really appreciate it. You don't even have to give me the definition. I'll look it up on Google. I need to build up my vocab!

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter Seven Attraction

**Chapter Seven- Attraction**

Anju eyed him intensely as she walked closer to him. She summoned bats and hid them in the nearby trees. I will wipe his mind if he tries to escape, she thought. As she got closer, she got feel Katsu getting nervous. Vampires had a natural ability to sense a person's emotional state, so that they can find someone with their own blood preference more easily.

"Where did you go last night?" she asked him with no emotion. She summoned a bat up her sleeve. If he gave the wrong answer, she would knock him out immediately.

Katsu didn't say anything for a few moments. He was trying to collect himself so that he could smoothly pull off a lie. He took a few breaths before answering. Anju could feel him calming down.

"The bathroom door wouldn't open, so I decided to climb through the window." Katsu finally answered.

Anju didn't say anything. "For the love of God, just knock him out Anju." Boogie-kun thought. Anju squeezed him tighter, signaling that she didn't want him to literally think out loud. She didn't want to wipe Katsu just yet. There was something intriguing about him.

"Why didn't you simply knock on the door and call for help?" Anju asked.

Katsu didn't reply. He decided to start walking slowly. "I want to get something to drink." he said to Anju. "I'll explain everything to you on the way." They started walking towards town. Katsu slowly breathed in the fresh night air. He found the night air very soothing, which helped him calm down.

"A few years back in middle school, I had a…what should I call it…a bad experience with locked toilet doors." Katsu explained. "I had to take a dump in one of the school toilets, and so I went to the boy's bathroom and settled down on one of the toilet bowls."

Katsu couldn't help but stop there and smile a little bit. The night air was loosening him up. The ideas were starting to flow.

"After I did my business, I tried to open the door. To my surprise, the lock was so rusty that it got stuck. I pulled hard on the lock but it would neither open nor break away from the door." Katsu continued. "After a while, I decided to call for help. After a few calls, somebody heard me and helped me open the toilet door. Some hours later, it spread out that I got myself locked up in the toilet. I was mocked and made fun of for two months straight. It was horrible I tell you. So I guess I didn't call for help because I didn't want your family to think of me as a complete idiot who could get himself locked up in the toilet. I looked around for a solution and I saw the small bathroom window."

Anju felt that Katsu was starting to relax. _A normal vampire hunter wouldn't loosen up when he is around a vampire without any weapons. _She started to loosen her grip of the bat up her sleeve.

"Why didn't you walk back in?" she asked. Katsu's eyes averted. _Give me a break…God…_

"Well, I fell out of the window and hit the ground; head first. The fall was less than a meter so it wasn't that bad." Katsu explained. "But I hit the ground with my head so I felt extremely dizzy and it hurt like hell. Holding my head and keeping myself from screaming out in pain, I just started to walk in a random direction to make myself focus on something else besides the pain. When I came to my senses, I discovered that I walked away from your mansion and I was close to a bus stop. I looked at my watch and saw that I should have been at home over three hours ago. I looked at the bus stop and the bus was there, so I decided to go straight home while the opportunity was literally right in front of me, and I didn't want to push my mum beyond three hours."

Katsu took a deep breath after he finished explaining. It was the best lie he ever came up with. Anju still wasn't satisfied with that explanation.

"How come you were able to meet the molesters and the woman right when they attacked? Why would you come to this old area of Tokyo if you live far away from here?" she asked Katsu. She knew that this was a though question if he was a vampire hunter. Her grip tightened around the bat. Katsu couldn't help but smile at that question. _This is the best lie I'll ever come up with._ Anju could feel Katsu's jovial aura increasing.

"I was going to come to your house to apologize for vanishing last night. I was looking for a way up the hill when I came across the kidnapping scene." Katsu explained.

"Why didn't you come during the day?" Anju continued to ask, her eyes narrowed.

"My mum grounded me for coming back so late last night. I was only able to get out during the night because she went to visit some friends in Osaka. She took the night train. So yeah…" Katsu answered. _I think my lying skills just improved. _

Anju was beginning to accept Katsu's story. It was very convincing. No holes in it. Boogie-kun could feel Anju loosening up. "Hey girlie, don't let that human seduce you. He still hasn't told you why he had a gun. Only vampire hunters carry guns around with them." he thought.

"How dare you say that I'm getting seduced." she thought to Boogie-kun angrily and used her arms to squeeze his neck, but she took his advice anyway.

"Why did you have a handgun with you?" she asked Katsu. She knew that this would be the final question.

Katsu had to think for a moment before he answered. "My mum demanded to know why I came back late last night and I told her that I rescued an attractive young lady from a group of rapists." Katsu said with a smile playing on the corners if his mouth. Anju's heart made a jump when he called her an 'attractive young lady'. It was the first time somebody ever called her attractive. Most vampires who proposed to her had no idea how to woe a lady. She was able to keep herself from blushing. Boogie-kun would have shaken his head in disappointment if Anju wasn't squeezing his neck so tightly. "My mum of course," Katsu continued. "completely over reacted and gave me grandfather's handgun. I told her that I wanted to go and check if the girl I rescued was alright, but she said that I had to stay home as a punishment. I decided to carry the gun with me, just in case if I encounter the molesters again, and waddah ya know. I actually did."

They reached a vending machine. Katsu fiddled around in his pockets to find some change. Anju drew out a few coins from Boogie-kun's mouth and went to the vending machine. She bought a coffee and handed it to Katsu.

"Thanks for helping me and the woman." she said emotionlessly, her eyes averting.  
Katsu smiled and thanked her for the coffee. Actually I wanted a Coke, he thought but he was happy nevertheless. It was the first time a girl ever bought something for him.

If Boogie-kun had pupils, he would roll them right now. "Anju, for God's sake just knock that brat out while nobody is around and erase his memory. He knows where you live and is a danger to every vampire." he thought to Anju.

Anju didn't reply. She was looking at Katsu walking over to the nearby trash can to throw away the lid. She looked at him and had to say he is…handsome. There was something about him that was charming. Her eyes examined the features on Katsu's face. There was something about him that reminded her of Koibuchi and Glark. His facial features look somewhat like Koibuchi, but his quirky smile looked more like Glark. Nevertheless, she found that he was quite handsome. She quickly looked away when Katsu threw away the lid.

"Oh yes Anju, I've been meaning asking you. Why do you always carry around that doll with a butcher knife?" Katsu asked while walking back to the vending machine where Anju was waiting.

"This doll is very important to me." Anju answered quietly. Katsu could sense that she didn't want him to continue asking about the doll.

"So…" Katsu said slowly while trying to think of something to ask Anju. He wanted to take this opportunity and ask her some questions while she was quiet. _I also got the advantage of knowing that she is vampire. But she doesn't know that I know._

"So which school do you go to?" Katsu finally asked. He couldn't think of anything for now.

"I'm weak in the sunlight, so I get private tutoring at night." Anju answered with no emotion. "My tutor called in sick today, so I got a night off".

Katsu gave her a quirky smile. "Lucky you, I guess."

"Anju, how old are you?" Katsu asked her. _Say out her name a couple of times. According to Jun's seduction book, saying out the name hits the heart strings without making me look like hitting them. _Katsu made eye contact with her when asking that. He couldn't help but feel absorbed by the solemn eyes, paired with the mysterious long eyelashes.

"I'm 15 years old." Anju answered, quickly breaking the eye contact. What's wrong with me, she wondered to herself. _Why did I feel exited when our eyes meet just now? _While she was looking away, Katsu scanned her up and down. He felt mesmerized by her beautiful long tresses. He felt an urge to walk over to Anju, and simply hold her tight to him. He wanted to smell her soft scent, feel her long tresses. _Maybe that's what they call lust…_His eyes locked on her waist. _And damn those curves are…god-like for someone around my age. _He leaned against the side of the vending machine and shifted his weight onto one foot.

"How old are you?" Anju asked.

"16…I'm 16"

Katsu's phone vibrated for a few moments. Katsu took it out of his pockets and flipped it open. It was a SMS from Jun.

_If u wnt 2 get out now, jus tel her dat dis is a msg frm ur mum n she is teln u 2 com home, _the text message read.

"Yeah except I told her that my mum is in Osaka." Katsu thought. But he did want to get out for now. He was afraid that something might happen if he stayed longer and he couldn't think of any questions to ask Anju.

"It's a text message from my friend," he told Anju. "They say that there is extra work to be done for the newspaper club and that they need my help."

"Oh." was Anju's only reply.

"Well, I'll see you around Anju!" Katsu said while turning around to head for the bus stop. He couldn't help but make a grimace while turning around. _Ok, that last thing I just said was really…bad. _

He jogged about 100 meters, turned around and waved Anju good bye. For a moment Anju didn't do anything. It rarely happens, but for a moment, her mind was blank. She blinked, smiled gently and waved back. Katsu went around the corner and he was gone.

* * *

Man, I have to admit, this chapter was hard to write. Several reasons for that though...  
First, I wanted to get some development going on between Anju and Katsu. I couldn't rush the emotional development and make them go crazy for each other (lol), but at the same time I had to get some development going on.

Second, I wanted to make Anju develop something for Katsu, but I still had to make it Anju. The problem was that in neither the manga nor the anime Anju showed affection to anybody outside her family nor did she show any romantic interest in anybody. So I had to show this 'new' side of Anju while still making it feel exactly like Anju to anybody who read this. I had to make her act kind of girlie and blushy while retaining her usual calm, quiet self.

And third, I had one hell of a bad week. I sprained my ankle while playing basketball on monday, got a little wave of homework and my mid-semester report card was below my own expectations. Only got a 5/7 for English...and my birthday is coming up...damn this timing sucks(I go to a MYP/IB school, just so you know lol). I was tempted not to write at all, but I made a iron rule to myself to get one chapter done every week.

Enough of the complaing (lol). Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter Eight Usui Kenta's Lecture

**Chapter Eight-Usui Kenta's Lecture**

She blinked, smiled gently and waved back. It was the second time she ever waved and smiled at anyone outside her family. She watched Katsu turn around the corner and stood there for a moment. She turned around and started to walk home. If Boogie-kun had pupils, then he would have rolled them.

"For the love of God, why didn't you erase his memory?" Boogie-kun demanded when they were within the barrier. "Having a teenage boy so close is dangerous girlie! Not to mention the skyrocketing hormones!"

Anju didn't say anything for a moment. She felt this sense of excitement lingering in her. "He had a very good reason for simply vanishing." Anju finally answered. "Erasing the memory of a carefree person like him wouldn't feel good."

Boogie-kun wasn't satisfied with Anju's reasoning. Never before since Anju sealed his soul into the butcher knife holding puppet, has his master been so irresponsible about a human. Much less since she awakened.

"What is up with you girlie huh? Are those teenage vampire hormones playing up with you again?" Boogie-kun shouted. He didn't understand it himself, but he was quite irritated with Anju's behavior.

Anju's eyes widened and a red color flushed her face. Almost instantly she regained control and gave Boogie-kun a powerful squeeze in the neck. Boogie-kun cried out in pain.

"What's wrong with me choosing not to erase someone's memory?" she asked Boogie-kun with an angry tone. She was starting to get irritated from Boogie-kun's daring outbursts.

"Why do you believe his pathetic little excuse?" Boogie-kun countered. Anju abruptly stopped walking and held Boogie-kun in front of her. She didn't say anything. She simply stared straight at Boogie-kun. A piercing stare that only Boogie-kun could endure.

Boogie kun let out a long sigh. "Anju. Do you believe him, or do you _want_ to believe him?"

Anju didn't say anything for a few moments. "That's none of your business." she replied in a solemn tone. They walked up the rest of the hill in silence. Boogie-kun would be the only person, dead or alive, who could get away with bullying Anju. One can say that he was quite proud of that.

--

_The next night, 19:31 pm _

Anju sat in a tree close to Usui Kenta's apartment. She could smell the dinner that Karin, Kenta and Fumio-san were eating. Even though she hasn't eaten human food since she awakened as a vampire, she missed it. She missed the different texture of different kinds of food, and most of all: Karin's special get-well porridge. She waited in the trees until they finished dinner and Karin and Fumio-san decided to go out for a walk. Kenta needed to stay home to do his assignments and wash the dishes. She watched Karin and Fumio-san walk past her. The densely growing leaves of the trees hid her well. When Karin and Fumio-san were out of sight, she started heading towards their apartment.

Kenta was doing the dishes by himself. He was humming a childhood melody when Anju silently climbed in from the window. Kenta didn't notice. Anju stood there for a few moments, expecting him to turn around.

"I need to talk to you." Anju finally said. Usui-kun gasped and dropped the plate that he was drying. Breathing heavily, he turned around to discover that it was Anju who crept up.

"Oh it's you, Imouto-san." he said, the shock still in his face. "Seriously you have to stop creeping up to me like that. That isn't good for my heart. Can't you just knock on the door for once?"

"Hmph, you get scared too easily Usui Kenta." Anju replied.

"Uhm…so what do you want?" Usui-kun asked, feeling a little nervous. Since Karin got her memory sealed off, Anju rarely came inside his apartment. If she shows up right after Karin and mum have left; then it must be something serious, he thought. Even though he was engaged to Karin, he never felt comfortable around Anju, and much less after Karin lost her memories. He was always afraid that since Anju often stayed close to his place, Karin might be able to accidently see her. Also, she has threatened him enough in the past.

"Is Onee-chan alright?" Anju asked.

"Oh you mean last night where she nearly got kidnapped? She was just in a little shock, no physical injuries." Usui-kun answered reassuringly.

Anju smacked him across the face with Boogie-kun. All three of them felt a sense of déjà vu when she did that.

"Last time she got kidnapped, and you weren't there to protect her." she yelled angrily. "This time you weren't around and she nearly got kidnapped again! Why can't you protect Onee-chan! I thought you loved her!"

Usui-kun turned red when Anju said that. He felt embarrassed when somebody so much younger than him is talking about his love for Karin.

"But she got saved." Usui-kun said, feeling a little guilty that he wasn't the one who didn't save her. Anju was tempted to smack him with Boogie-kun again, but she wasn't here to beat the living crap out of Usui-kun. Also she could feel a sense of guilt emitting from Usui-kun. _Good_, she thought, _at least he feels some guilt. _

"Do you know who saved her?" Anju tested him.

Usui-kun thought for a moment. "Karin told me it was somebody called Katsu. She said that he was around 15 to 16 years old. So around your age."

Anju didn't say anything. She was waiting for Usui-kun to say something.

"You know this person called Katsu?" Usui-kun asked, with a feeling in the gut that there is something that Anju isn't telling him.

"Yes I know him." Anju answered.

"That's great!" Usui-kun exclaimed. "Can you help me contact him? I want to thank him for saving Karin!"

"This Katsu person," Anju said, ignoring Usui-kun's request. "saved both me and Onee-chan."

Usui-kun's naturally big white eyes became even larger when she said that. "Say again?"

"A group of vampire hunters attacked me and Katsu saved me." Anju explained. "Seems like he saved Onee-chan too."

Kenta gave her a dumbfounded look. "Anju, just who is Katsu?"

Anju let out a heavy sigh and started to explained everything from the night where she got knocked out by a flash bang, and how Katsu 'saved' her when she got attacked a second time by a gang of vampire hunters. She told him about the how Katsu gave her a piggy-back ride back to the mansion and how he was both accidentally and forced to vanish from the mansion without another word. She finished by telling how Katsu was able to save Karin because he wanted to go back to the mansion to apologize for vanishing last night. The whole time Usui-kun was sitting there, listening intently to what Anju is saying. He didn't say anything for a few minutes after Anju finished.

"Basically..." Usui-kun started to saw after a few minutes of silence. "Katsu is a pretty good person who is around your age."

"I suppose you could say that." Anju replied.

"Although there is one thing that surprises me." Usui kun said. "Why didn't you try to erase his memory when you met him for the second time? Isn't it dangerous for a teenage boy whom you just met to know so much about your home and be so close to you?"

"He isn't close to me." Anju replied with no emotion.

"But why didn't you erase his memory?" Usui-kun asked again. He was starting to get the feeling that Anju was still hiding something from him.

"YEAH! Why don't you just wipe him Anju!" Boogie-kun bursted out.

"The same reason why I didn't erase your memory back in 2003, when you first found out that Onee-chan is a vampire." Anju replied.

"Why didn't you erase my memory anyway?"

"Because I thought things were interesting."

"Yeah, but this interesting thing just turned into a whole bloody mess later!" Boogie-kun shouted.

Both Kenta and Anju glared angrily at Boogie-kun. "Shut up" they said simultaneously. Boogie-kun actually felt afraid. He decided to shut up for now.

Kenta cleared his throat. "Anju," he said with a serious tone. "how old are you now?'

Anju raised both eye brows in surprise when he asked that. "15…" she answered in her usual stoic way.

"15…" Usui-kun repeated dreamily. "15…" he said again. He put his hand in front of his mouth to hide a smile that is playing on the corners of his mouth.

"Anju," he said slowly. "You only told me what happened with Katsu. Describe to me how he looks like. Looks can be deceiving sometimes."

"What does it matter how he looks like?" Anju asked suspiciously.

"Well, if you tell me how he looks like, then it might be possible for me to judge whether or not he is trustworthy." Kenta said calmly.

"Are you saying that I am incapable of judging someone?" Anju asked, her eyes narrowing. She was considered a beauty and prodigy among vampires, she held pride in that and couldn't stand it if somebody is looking down on her.

"I grew up among humans, I went to a human high school, I am in a human university and most importantly, I am human. I think I can judge humans better than you." Usui-kun said while trying to keep out the smugness in his voice.

Anju let out an almost angry sigh. She hated it when somebody got the better of her. Especially Usui Kenta.

"He has dark, puffed up spiky hair." She started to describe. "He has overall handsome features and he has a charming smile". She then went on describing Katsu's looks in more detail. The whole time Usui-kun couldn't believe what he was seeing. To him, it sounded like Anju was attracted to Katsu. The way she described him startled Usui-kun. Her solemn eyes started to look more jovial and the whole expression on her face started to have a more dreamy impression. When Anju finished describing Katsu, she gave Kenta a questioning look. He was nodding his head while looking at the ground. From what Anju told him, Katsu sounded like a very decent guy to him, but there was something else bothering him.

"He sounds like a good guy to me." Usui-kun said to quickly finish that matter. "But you said that you are 15?"

Anju nodded.

"It's that age I guess…" Usui-kun muttered under his breath. Anju, who has a hearing better than the average human because she has vampire blood running in her veins, heard that.

"What age?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Well…" Usui-kun said hesitantly. "you know…at around 15, puberty starts and both guys and girls go through major physical and emotional changes. And it is at that age where many experience their first encounter with" he paused for a second. "Love."

"YEAH! That's what I said! Vampire hormones!" Boogie-kun bursted out. Without another word, Anju threw him out of the window.

"What are you trying to say Usui Kenta?" Anju asked in a solemn tone. Kenta wished he never mentioned puberty to Anju. But what's done is done.

"Well you know…at your age, many people start to feel the emotion called 'love'" Usui kun started to explain. "And since you are that age…maybe you…"

He didn't dare finish that sentence. He looked at Anju, who was expecting him to finish. He let out a sigh. It felt strange for him to explain this kind of a thing to a 15 year old. Normally they already know everything about love by this age. _I guess Ren wasn't very responsible. _

"Maybe you are attracted to Katsu?" Usui-kun finished. He gulped. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous, despite the fact that he was engaged with Karin and he was over four years older than Anju, meaning that there was little that Anju could do to him.

"Are you trying to say that I love Katsu?" she asked Usui-kun in a solemn tone. She felt her heart make a jump when she said that. A emotionless face perfectly hid her inner reaction. A shiver ran up Usui-kun's spine when he saw how serious Anju's expression was. He wished he never said that.

"Let's not jump straight to love." he said with an awkward smile. "Since you're at that age…it's natural to start having feelings for…guys."

"Ridiculous." Anju replied emotionlessly, but with an almost angry solemn tone underneath. Without another word, she jumped out of the window, picked up Boogie-kun and started to head towards the mansion.

Usui-kun looked out of the window that Anju has just let through and let out a sigh. He smiled to himself. _So it's finally her turn huh. Ah, I wish Karin knew about his. _He suddenly got the feeling that he forgot something. I still don't know how to contact Katsu, he thought.

* * *

Yep and the eight chapter is out. I finished this one right after I finished watching_ Lord of War_ (2005) (great movie by the way). In there the main character has build up his relationship with his wife almost completely on lies. Couldn't help but think of Katsu and Anju when his wife left him and his family disowned him. I guess building a relationship on lies isn't healthy. I think I will go and restructure some of the development in my outlines for each chapter.

Any of you ever read _The Great Gatsby_? I'm on page 133 and I both hate and love the book. I love Fitzgerald writing style and the way he uses long words at the right times to make every sentence sound right in place (unlike _Twilight, _where Stephanie Meyer obviously abused the Theosaurus over and over again, sorry Twilight fans). But I hate how the romantic development between Gatsby and Daise is handeled. I don't know why, I just don't like it. It isn't like _The Time Traveler's Wife _where the reader can really feel the intimacy between the growing couple. Oh well, maybe it just isn't my type of romance story. Anyways...

Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter Nine Blood Bait

**Chapter Nine- Blood Bait**

Anju reached the front door and opened it. She instantly recognized that there was the scent of another vampire in the mansion. It was Elda's, her grandmother. She stepped into living room to discover Henry giving his mother a shoulder message. Calera was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, Anju! You're back!" Elda beamed.

"Hello grandmother." Anju replied. "Did you just wake up?"

"2 hours ago." Elda answered jovially.

The old hag is in a good mood huh, Boogie-kun thought to Anju. They rarely see Elda in such a good mood. Losing a granddaughter to a, in her eyes, 'worthless' human is something that hit home base.

"Where is mother?" Anju asked.

"Oh, she is down in the basement reading." Henry answered. Anju looked at her father. Seeing him give a message to someone that looks so much younger than him was quite amusing.

Anju went up to her room. Henry and Elda waited until she had closed the door.

"Where did I left off? Oh right, engagement!" Elda said, now a lot more serious than before. "Is Anju engaged yet with any other vampire?"

"No mother, she isn't" Henry answered with a heavy sigh. "Not a single male vampire has appealed to her."

"Hah! Serves them right!" Elda said with malice. A shudder went up Henry's spine. "No vampire is worthy of Anju!"

Henry tried to smile. "After Bridget married Ren, Anju is the only female vampire in Japan." he said. "Bridget may have produced a child with Ren, but that isn't enough for the survival of the vampire race. Fertility among other female vampires is still low. Many vampire males suspect that Anju is fertile, because Calera is her mother."

Elda didn't say anything, because what Henry said was true. Anju may be vital for the survival of the vampire race. "Hmph! As long as she doesn't fall for a human then it should be fine." Elda eventually said after a few moments of thought.

"Oh yes, by the way Henry." Elda turned around to look at her son. "How old is Anju now?"

"Fifteen."

"It's that age, you know that Henry, right?" she said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes mother, I'm afraid that it is that age where she will get interested in…things she hasn't been interested before." Henry said in an almost whimper voice. The thought of his last child maturing and becoming a 'true' adult scared him.

"Ahh! Behave like a man Henry! What will Anju think of you!" Elda scolded Henry and gave him a weak punch in the left shoulder. "If she starts having other desires besides blood, then let nature have its way!" She laughed out loudly. Henry knelled on the floor, defeated by the thoughts that were racing through his head.

Anju sat down on her bed and let out a heavy sigh. This is one of the few times where she felt agitated. She decided to lay down and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. She didn't know what, but something irritated her. She felt anxious and exited at the same time. Usui Kenta didn't help either.

"I'm telling it's the hormones Anju!" Boogie-kun said from the corner of the room. He had a wide grin on his face, or at least whatever grin his body could manage to do.

"Don't forget that I can send your soul to tell whenever I wish for it" Anju said angrily. Boogie-kun wasn't helping either.

Boogie-kun let out a laugh and sighed. "You now girlie, remember two years ago when I told you that nobody expects you to understand love? Maybe now you understand it."

"Are you suggesting that this is love?" Anju asked solemnly.

"Hell yeah girlie!" Boogie-kun shouted excitedly.

Anju threw him out of the room. "Next time you don't behave yourself, I'll wipe your soul from the face of the earth." Anju threatened him calmly as she was closing the door him.

"Meh, I'm not afraid of that, I'm already dead anyway."

Anju closed the door.

She walked back to the bed and laid down again. She felt tired. Maybe some blood will help, she thought, and started to send out surveillance bats to the see if there are any suitable targets close by. She covered her eyes with her arm and started to see what the bats were transmitting. At the same time, she was starting to think about Usui-kun's 'lecture'. She wondered about what he said. _Do I like Katsu-kun?_

Moments later, a bat found a teenager in the nearby park. He had had dark spiky hair and was walking around with his hands in pockets. He was wearing his shirt in a loose way. It was Katsu. Anju felt her heart make a jump when she saw him. _What is Katsu doing in the park?_

She sat up, walked over to her closet and put on a black hat matching her black Lolita like dress. _I don't like Katsu._

She opened the window and flew out, heading towards the park.

--

_20 hours earlier_

Katsu got out his keycard and opened the door to his room. He just came back from his rendezvous with Anju. He still couldn't quite believe that he got back in one piece, and that he actually gained something: a can of coffee. He entered the room and discovered that Jun was waiting for him. He was watching some random anime.

"Hey, how did you get in her?" Katsu asked.

Jun turned around in surprise. "Katsu!" he beamed and a wide smile spread across his face. "You actually came back! Man it's good to see you."

"What you mean, I _actually _came back?" Katsu asked with a annoyed tone.

"You're the first human to come back from a vampire rendezvous without a single scratch!" Jun said with a grin. "Congratulations!"

"Oh that's good to know…" Katsu replied, startled by Jun's jovial behavior.

"Oh man! Never thought that a 15 year old could pull off this kind of stunt. Tell me, did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Never mind…" Jun said with a hint of disappointment. "So tell me, how did you survive?"

"Flirting skills and 100% sex appeal." Katsu answered with a smug.

"The hell you did." Jun frowned. "No seriously, how did you do it?"

"Well first I had to pull off a good act with the kidnapping thing…" Katsu started to explain. For the next two hours, he told Jun about how he 'rescued' Karin and how Anju suddenly showed in front of him and demanding an explanation for him vanishing last night. He told Jun about the lie he came up with from the top of the head, and how she brought him a can of coffee as a token of thanks. All the time Jun was listening intently, nodding every now and then and stroking his chin. He couldn't help but make the widest possible grin when Katsu told him about the can of coffee that Anju brought him. When Katsu finished, neither said anything for a few minutes.

Jun broke the silence. "So basically, you are either damn good at pulling off a convincing lie or she likes you."

"Or both." Katsu added, and then he asked "what you mean she likes me?"

"Well seeing from how she didn't erase your memory and how she actually thanked you and let you get away, she doesn't seem to see you as a direct threat. And if a vampire doesn't see a human as a direct threat when getting so close to her, then it must mean that she likes you." Jun explained. "Furthermore, she knows that there are some vampire hunters, aka us, who know that she a vampire. She could easily suspect you as a vampire hunter because she knows that there are vampire hunters who know her identity and it is quite…intriguing how this spiky haired prince comes out of nowhere."

Katsu was biting his lower lip while listening to Jun's explanation. _Hmm, maybe what Jun says is true. Heh, would be nice if she likes me. Maybe I should…_

"So basically you're saying that we're doing good." Katsu finally said after a few more moments of thought.

"Well, it's more like you're doing well. 'Cuz you're the one who always jumped into the frying pan." Jun said.

Katsu smiled at that compliment. He liked it when people that were smarter than him praised him. Katsu walked over to the mini fridge and got himself a Coke. He took a long sip. The coffee was better, he thought.

"Now what do we do?" Katsu asked. "We know that she is a vampire, and according to you and my own feeling, I'm getting close to her."

"Let's not forget that we are here to do some research for your grandpa. In the documents he sent you it said that a small blood sample of a vampire would be ideal. Hair would be good too." Jun said. "But getting anything from a vampire is difficult. It would be best we got as close to her as she is to her family."

Katsu let out a heavy sigh. "And how do we do that? We know that she is a vampire and she thinks vampire hunters know that she is a vampire, but she isn't suspecting me to be it. Quite the opposite, she seems like me."

Jun raised an eyebrow when Katsu said that. Not every day he hears some guy claiming that a girl, or at least a person of female gender, likes him.

"Quite a bold statement saying that she likes you pretty-boy." Jun said with a smug smile.

"Well, you said it yourself that she likes me."

"But it's still kind of bratty to say it yourself that she likes you."

"Whatever."

Jun gave Katsu a serious glance. "Say, do you like her?" he asked Katsu.

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "Say again?"

"Do you like her?" Jun repeated.

Katsu let out a sigh and shrugged. "Let's just say that I don't have romantic interests in girls who will outlive me by at least 100 years."

Jun sat down on a chair, leaned back and folded his arms. Katsu could tell that he has come up with something.

"The way I see it, we have to let her know that you know that she is a vampire." he said confidently.

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "I don't getcha…care for more explanation?"

"Basically, we have to let her know that you know that she is a vampire. That's all." Jun said with a smile.

"Wouldn't that get my mind wiped?" Katsu said skeptically.

"Aha! This where the genius of my plan comes in!" Jun cried excitedly. "The thing is, we have to find a way to make it look like that she is the one who told you, or showed you that she is a vampire. We can't have it look like you are the one who found out that she is a vampire."

Katsu wasn't convinced, he didn't completely understand it either.

"Wouldn't the end result still be that she knows that I know that she is a vampire and I get a mind wipe?"

"Well, from what you told me, she seems to be a good person and has taken a liking in you. I don't think that she will wipe your mind if it is _her _that showed you that she is a vampire. She will probably think that she is the one responsible and wiping your mind would seem unfair."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second there." Katsu said, shaking his head in disagreement. "How is it possible to make it look like that _she_ is one who showed _me_? It's impossible. The only way is for me to find out."

Jun shook his head and smug spread across his lips. "This is where my genius comes in." he said with confidence and took a deep breath before saying "What better way is there for her to show you that she is a vampire than forcing her to bite you!"

Katsu's a jay dropped in disappointment. He rubbed his forehead while letting out a heavy sigh. "Look man…I seriously doubt that there is even one vampire in the world who would be dumb enough to bite me if I said 'Bite me now!'. Also, how am I supposed to fight back the venom that makes me faint?"

"Aha! This is where more of my genius comes in!" Jun said with pride. The pill that you swallowed last night where Anti-venom pills remember? Take another one tonight and you should be fine if she decides to bite you."

"Although I do admit that it is a little difficult because she knows that some vampire hunters know her identity and hence will have her guard on." Jun added.

Actually Jun wasn't sure at all whether or not the pills would work. It is pretty hard to get hold of samples of vampire venom. Also, no one was willing to give themselves up as a guinea pig. In theory those pills should work.

Katsu scratched his forehead. Jun's idea was starting to sink in, but he still wasn't convinced.

"You still haven't told me how we're going to 'force' her to bite me." Katsu said.

"This is the best part of the plan!" Jun cried excitedly. Katsu half expected him to start jumping up and down like a little kid. "We are going to use what she loves most as bait."

"Blood?"

"Exactly!"

"I don't understand…" Katsu yawned. All these late night trips were starting to have an effect on him. _I probably missed over 10 hours of sleep by now._

"We simply make a small cut on your hand or any part of your body, and use that as bait! When she smells your blood, she will be tempted to bite you. And let's hope that her will power is weak." Jun explained. "Of course the whole plan depends on our luck. We will have to get her on a night where she is hungry, and there is no way for us to predict when she is thirsty."

Jun leaned back in the chair and smiled in satisfaction. He simply loved simple plans. Straightforward, easy to execute and high probability of success.

"So basically you're saying that we are going to lure her into biting me?"

"Exactly."

Katsu frowned. "Oh my God…pure simplicity ey?"

"Pure simplicity." Jun repeated. "What do you think? Are you willing to let your _girlfriend_ bite you?"

"I'll think about it…I need to catch up on some sleep first." Katsu yawned.

5 minutes later, he was sound asleep.

Jun turned off the anime and closed the curtain of the hotel room window. He looked at Katsu with almost sincere eyes. Hopefully this kid won't have to go through the pains that his gramps suffered, he thought.

* * *

Sorry for the little delay on this chapter, but I was as busy as hell over the weekend, mostly because I got Burnout Paradise working on my PC with no lag. And I brought a Xbox 360 controller for it. Best controller ever. But I do admid that the XYZB kind of suck. Anyways, I will try to get chapter 10 out sometime this week (unless I get hold of Devil May Cry 4 and Cod: World at War lol).

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter Ten Holes in the Neck

**Chapter 10 – Holes in the Neck**

_12:00_

Katsu woke up but kept his eyes closed. He let out a profound sigh. He turned around and looked at the small clock beside his bed. _Damn I slept through half of the day. _He heard somebody flush the toilet. Katsu groaned. _Oh God…please, not again. _

Jun stepped out of the bathroom.

"Oh! You woke up!" Jun greeted Katsu with a smile.

Katsu didn't say anything at first. He was trying to see if there was any smell coming out of the bathroom.

"How did you get in here?" Katsu asked.

Jun drew out a key card and threw it over to Katsu.

"How did you get that?"

"You fell asleep so suddenly last night, I figured that you would wake up really late so I decided to take the key card."

"Right…"

Katsu went into the shower, brushed his teeth and dressed. He forced Jun to get out of the room while he was doing that.

"So…" Jun said after Katsu had allowed him inside again. "Did you think about using yourself as live bait?"

Katsu stared at the TV for a few moments. He thought of Anju. He wanted to get close to her, he didn't know why. He just wants to.

"Yes…I'll do it" he answered with a sigh.

A grin spread across Jun's face. He passed a pill to Katsu.

--

_22:00 pm _

Katsu stood in the park, with fresh cut on the side of his left hand. Jun did that just ten minutes beside sending Katsu off into the park. He still had no idea what kind excuse he would use if Anju actually appeared. _I can't believe I'm actually doing this. _He started to think of what Jun told him after he cut his hand.

_Try to touch her with your wounded left hand. That should make her go crazy…_

Katsu frowned when he thought of that. Whatever he meant with 'crazy', he thought.

He started to walk around in the park, both hoping to find and not to find Anju. If he found Anju, he would probably get bitten, if he didn't find her, his wound would heal and would half to make another cut on another night. Katsu let out a sigh. _Just what the hell did I get myself into this…_

He reached the center of the park and saw a vending machine. He fumbled around in his pockets and found three 100 yen coins. He got himself a can of lemon juice. He sat down on a nearby bench and stared to drink.

"Hello Katsu." Anju said with no emotion when she appeared behind him and touched his shoulder.

"AHH-" Katsu cried out in surprise and threw the can high into the air. He jerked his head around to discover that Anju was behind him.

"Dude! Anju, you gotta stop appearing just like that! That scares the living crap out of me!"

"I'm sorry…" Anju apologized quietly, her eyes averting.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Katsu asked.

"I was just taking a walk when I saw you." Anju answered. "I wondered what you were doing here, so I decided to walk over."

"Oh…I just came over here to visit a friend and get some work done for the newspaper club." Katsu said.

Even though she didn't show it, Anju sensed a strong scent of blood coming Katsu the moment she appeared behind him. She gritted her teeth together. She didn't want to bite Katsu. Ethically there was nothing wrong with biting Katsu, she just didn't want to. She didn't understand herself why she felt that way.

"And I was hoping to find you." Katsu added. "I guess I wanted to check if you are alright. Not every day somebody gets surrounded by kidnappers."

Anju felt her heart make a jump when he said that.

"You were worried about me?" Anju asked hesitantly, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.

"Of course!" Katsu answered. "Not every day I save some beautiful girl.". Katsu let a laugh. _Am I being too direct? _He raised his left hand to scratch the back of his neck.

Anju had let her guard down because of Katsu's compliment, and used her hand to hide her growing fangs, effectively hiding her slight blush at the same time. It was the first time anybody called her beautiful so directly.

"Thank you" Anju said almost ecstatically. _His blood smells deliciously. _

Anju pointed towards Katsu's left hand. "What happened to your hand?" she asked.

Katsu looked at his own hand. A perfect lie came almost instantly to his mind.

"I made dinner at my friend place, and I cut my hand while cutting up the vegetables." Katsu answered.

"I never was good at cooking." he added after an extra moment of thought.

"I'm not good at cooking either." Anju said. _Not that I need to be. _

Anju walked past Katsu and drew out a few coins out of her pockets. She brought Katsu a coffee.

"For the can you threw high in the air because of me." she said as she handed him the can.

"Thanks." Katsu said with a smile. _And that's the second time a girl ever bought me something. _

Anju felt her heart make another exited jump. Something is wrong with me, she thought to herself grimly.

Katsu opened the can and threw away the lid. "So…what kind of food do you like to eat?"

Anju didn't answer. She hasn't eaten human food for over two years, she had no idea what kind of food appealed to her. Then a picture of Karin popped into her mind. She smiled.

"It's a special porridge that my sister invented." Anju answered.

Katsu nodded his head and they started walking through the park. Katsu took a deep breath of the fresh night air. It smelled a bit like the ocean to him. Fresh night air always made him feel peaceful, as if there were no worries in the world and everything is fine. He breathed out heavily and looked at Anju. Again he felt the temptation to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight.

Looking at Anju, Katsu noticed that she had her hand covering her mouth. _I guess she is trying to hold herself back huh. _Then another thought crossed his mind. _If she doesn't want to bite me then why doesn't she just disappear like she just appeared? _A smile started to form on the corner of his lips.

"You know," Katsu said. "I wonder if this cut is still bleeding". Without waiting for a reply from Anju, he swiftly took off the bandage. Of course, his wound was still bleeding. It was cut less than 20 minutes ago.

Anju instantly froze. Mechanically she took a step back. Her eyes widened and her pupils started to shrink. She stared at Katsu's hand in horror. She could almost feel her mouth water. Her fangs grew another 5mm.

Katsu noticed Anju's reaction. Dropping the bandage, he took a step closer to Anju to close the distance between them.

"Anju are you alright?" he asked hesitantly. _Oh God…please don't make this too painful. _

Anju starred at Katsu's hand in both horror and temptation. _No!_ She took another step back. This was the first time since her awakening that she has been tempted so strongly towards someone's blood.

"Anju are you alright?" Katsu asked again. This time he took a step forwards and grabbed both of her shoulders. Anju's mind snapped.

She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her nose against Katsu's neck. _No! No! _

"Uhm Anju…what are you doing?" Katsu asked hesitantly. _Here goes nothing…_

Anju slowly opened her mouth. Her breathing got heavy, her mind was blank. All she was focused on was the scent of Katsu's blood. She licked Katsu's neck tenderly, savoring the scent of his skin. She let out a sigh as she slowly sank her fangs into Katsu's neck.

Time stood still.

* * *

And Chapter 10! Writing these chapters is getting thougher recently. First I have to show this new side of Anju (new side as in her gaining romantic interest for someone) without making make her out of character. I need to make the original Anju recognizable, keep that calm, emotionless personality while effectively showing that new side. Second, wrecking havoc in Paradise City takes a lot of time and is bloody addicting. Sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, but I just felt that splitting the development goes better with the flow of the story.

Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter Eleven One Sided Confession

**Chapter 11 – One Sided Confession**

Anju sank her fangs into Katsu's neck. Katsu snapped his eyes wide in panic, surprise and pain. He tried to speak up, but only managed to get out a groan. He could feel Anju gently sucking the blood from the hole that she created with her fangs. Katsu's mind went blank with all the different thoughts and feeling that were racing through his head. After a few moments, he could feel becoming gentler and her sucking becoming slower. For a second he thought that was it and tried to speak again. Just when he wanted to call out Anju's name, the venom from Anju's fangs started to react. Anju drew her fangs back and let go of Katsu. She sighed in relief.

"That felt good" she thought to herself, for a moment she forgot all about Katsu.

As Anju enjoyed the aftertaste of her blood sucking, Katsu lost feeling in his legs and feel to the ground. The back of his head hit the ground and Anju jumped back in surprise.

"Damn…I lost control of myself." Anju muttered as she saw Katsu lying on the ground.

Katsu had his eyes closed in pain. He felt like as if every nerve in the area wher Anju bit him was continuously burning and regenerating. He would have rubbed the back of his head, but he was more focused on the itching and burning feeling around his neck. He let out a groan.

He heard a dress shuffle and then felt a gentle touch in his forehead. Nothing happened for a few moments. It then occurred to Katsu's pain overwhelmed mind that it was Anju's hand on his forehead. _DAMN! Not now! Not after I have gotten so far!_

Instantly he snapped his eyes widen open and grabbed Anju's wrist. He held her wrist like that for a few moments, maneuvering her hand away from his forehead.

Anju watched in shock how Katsu used whatever feeling he got left in his arms to move her hand away. Almost a pitiful struggle. She drew a couple of deep breaths and gulped. For the first time in many years, she felt scared. Never before had a human stayed conscious after gotten bitten by her. She didn't know how to handle the situation.

With his hand tightly grabbing Anju's wrist, Katsu's arm started to become heavy. The fight between Jun's pill and Anju's venom didn't leave much feeling left in Katsu's arms. His arms dropped to the ground, dragging Anju along with it. Her face rested on Katsu's chest and she could hear Katsu's heart beating fast. For just one second, she felt herself calm down as she felt the warmth of Katsu's chest. She then remembered what situation she was in and jerked her hand free and took two steps back.

She watched Katsu breathing heavily on the ground. He had his eyes closed again. Anju could knock him out with one of her bats and erase his memory for good, but she was curious. She wanted to find out why he was still conscious. _I can erase his memory anytime after that. _

Anju knew that she was lying to herself.

Katsu tried to move his arms again. They were lighter than before. The venom's effect seems to have worn down. Katsu almost smiled. _God bless Jun…those damn pills actually worked. _

He pushed himself into a sitting position with his arms and then exercised his neck. He heard it crack a few times. Katsu tried moving his toes, then his legs. He slowly stood up and nearly fell to the ground again. Like a baby walking for the first time, he slowly walked over to a nearby bench. With a plumping sound, Katsu dropped himself onto the bench and let out a sigh of relief. His body felt like as if he just came out of the swimming pool. It felt like as if gravity had a stronger pull on it than usual. He licked his lips. _Good, at least they don't feel completely paralyzed. _

Katsu slowly raised his head to discover Anju starting at him in shock. All the calmness that he usually saw on her face was gone. Instead, uncertainty, shock and fear replaced her usual coolness.

Katsu took a sharp breath and gulped.

"You are a vampire?" Katsu asked after a moment of hesitation. He looked Anju directly in the eye. _Just say 'yes, I am a vampire…and I love you.' _

Katsu's eyebrows sank at his own thought. _Where did the 'I love you' come from…_

Trying to avert Katsu's stare, Anju nodded slowly. "Yes." she said so quietly that Katsu could barely hear it.

"You are a vampire?" Katsu asked again, just to make sure, even thought he felt stupid for asking the exact same question again.

Anju nodded again. She felt scared and nervous, she lost her usual cool, but for some reason, she felt almost glad that Katsu found out that she is a vampire. She stared at the ground in confusion at her own feelings.

Anju looked up and saw that Katsu's eyes were still locked on her face. Now she knew what Karin felt like when she let Usui Kenta find out that she is a vampire. Now she knew. I'm sorry sis, Anju thought. But she didn't regret biting Katsu.

She stared back at Katsu, who looked calm and collected. It then occurred to her that most people should be scared if they found out that somebody is a bloodsucking vampire.

"Why aren't you scared of me?" Anju asked coldly. Her normal self was back. She reached into her pocket and held a bat ready. If he is allied with the vampire hunters, she thought, I will kill him. In her heart she knew that she wouldn't. Maybe only erase his memory. At worst wipe his mind blank depending on the answer.

A chill went up Katsu's spine as he heard Anju's cold tone. _Damn…I just lost myself there. Wrong acting. _An ingenious idea then crossed his mind. I still have the advantage that she doesn't know anything about my past, he thought.

Katsu smiled and then let out a laugh. He rubbed the back of his forehead.

Anju's narrowed. She was ready to knock Katsu out. "What's so funny?" Anju asked coldly.

"No no it's just…" Katsu started to say.

"Just what?" Anju asked suspiciously. "Why aren't you scared of me?"

"No it's just so many things happened in my life, nothing really scares or surprises me anymore." Katsu started to explain, the ideas were flowing. "When I was six years old, I found out that I was adopted and that my real parents committed suicide. When I was thirteen years old I found out that my best friend was homosexual, my history teacher jumped in front a train. And two months ago, I found out that the prettiest girl in my school likes me". Katsu smiled at the last one. It was the only one that wasn't a lie. He also hoped to redirect the subject of the conversation and possibly spark some jealousy in Anju. _I doubt that it will work…but it's worth a try. _

Anju gave him a puzzled look. She didn't know what homosexual meant. She didn't stay long enough in a human school to learn those terms.

Katsu looked at Anju and noticed that she was still standing away from him. He wondered why. He then realized that to her she has showed him that she is a vampire. _Oh the guilt…_

"Don't worry Anju, I'm not going to tell anybody." Katsu said with an understanding smile. He wasn't lying. "I didn't tell anybody that my friend was homosexual either" he added.

Then an ingenious line crossed his mind. "And anyways, I can't tell out a girl as pretty as you." Katsu said with a gentle laugh.

Anju stared at him in surprise. She didn't expect Katsu to act so 'happy' and carefree if he found out that she was a vampire. She replied with a flustered smile. She didn't know why she believed Katsu's promise. She simply trusted him. She looked at Katsu's reassuring smile. She started to relax. She suddenly started to feel anxious to check if the biting wound that she gave Katsu was alright.

She walked over to the bench and sat down next to Katsu. Katsu started to move his limbs again. He had a lot more feeling in them now. Jun's pills have done their job. Katsu started moving his neck around. It made a cracking noise. Katsu groaned, he never felt that before. _Must be from the fight between the venom and the pills…me neck hurts like hell. _

"Are you alright?" Anju asked with concern, the cracking sound from Katsu's neck scared her a little. Cracking sounds from the neck were never a good sign.

Katsu let out a light laugh. "Do be honest, I have no idea if I'm alright. First for me to get bitten by a vampire."

"Oh yeah, by the way Anju. What were you trying to do when you put your hand on my forehead?" Katsu asked, knowing the answer already. But he wanted to hear Anju's answer. It was part of the trust building thing.

Anju stared at the ground. For some reason, she felt a wave of guilt overwhelm her when Katsu asked that question. It felt as if she was trying to do something bad to Katsu.

"I was trying to erase your memory." Anju answered reluctantly. "Erasing a biting target's memory is important to the survival of vampires."

"Oh…"

"If vampires didn't have the ability to erase memories, then we would be hunted down like animals, because humans think that we are evil bloodsuckers." Anju explained.

Katsu nodded. What she just said connects with Jun's explanation. "I don't think you're evil…."

Anju drew a sharp breath in surprise. She wasn't used to getting so many compliments and would usually ignore those compliments (mostly made by vampire admirers), yet she felt her heart react to what Katsu is saying.

Anju looked at Katsu to find what so was about him that made her feel excited and nervous at the same time. He was staring at the vending machine right ahead. He would dig into his pockets, find some coins and walk over there to get a drink, but he felt exhausted. Jun's pills aren't completely perfect huh, Katsu thought. Anju looked at his face and made mental notes of his features. It was hard for her to describe him. He was simply handsome. Her eyes wandered down his body and then back to his face again. Katsu looked exhausted. She followed his stare to the vending machine.

"You want something to drink?" Anju asked emotionlessly, she had regained her cool. She wanted to hide her emotions, as she usually does.

Katsu looked her. _Dang, why did she become so cold again?_

"Nah, I'm fine." Katsu replied.

"You look exhausted."

"I did lose some blood…"

Neither didn't say anything for a few moments. "I think a Coke would be good." Katsu finally said. He could use some more sugar in his system right now.

Anju stood up and started walking towards the vending machine. She had no idea what a Coke actually was. I'll just read the label on the drinks, she thought.

Katsu stopped staring at the vending machine and started at Anju instead. In his eyes, she was simply beautiful. He marveled at her long tresses which almost reached her thighs. His eyes started to look at her curves. He let out a sigh. He had never seen such delicate, curves before that fit harmonically with the rest of her body. He looked at her black Lolita dress and thoughts how it matches with her emotionless personality.

He is surprised that he found Anju so extremely attractive. Usually he isn't attracted to girls who are so cold, almost no guy would be attracted to someone who is so quiet and cold. But there was something about Anju that he felt drawn to. His eyes went over her curves again. He felt that rising desire again to walk over to her and wrap his arms around her from behind. He wondered what her thighs would look like, which are hidden under her black dress. _And her chest has developed quite well to, maybe slightly below average. _

Anju walked back and handed Katsu a vanilla coke.

"Thanks" Katsu said and opened the lid. He took a long gulp. He felt the cold liquid going down his throat. It felt really good.

Anju then abruptly stood up and looked Katsu directly in eye. At first he thought that he got caught staring at her while she was walking towards the vending machine. Little did he know that Anju did feel his eyes gazing at her body.

"You are not going to tell anybody?" Anju asked with a solemn tone, staring Katsu directly in the eyes.

Katsu got caught in the moment with Anju looking at him so directly and seriously and couldn't help but blush a little.

"O-Of course not!" Katsu stammered.

Anju looked at Katsu blush and couldn't help but smile. She then held her hand in front of her mouth to unsuccessfully hide a giggle. Seeing Katsu blush was just too amusing.

Katsu felt his heart make a jump and looked at Anju in disbelief. Just now, Anju asked him so seriously, and now she was giggling like any girl. Katsu help but smile gently. _Yeah…cute and beautiful. _

Anju then noticed how Katsu was staring at her giggling. Then she noticed that she was giggling. Something she almost never did. She abruptly stopped and looked at the ground in embarrassment as she sat back down. _I think I understand sis a little better now. _

Maybe I should ask her something embarrassing while she is so open, Katsu thought

"Do you always embrace somebody when you bite them?" Katsu asked, making a smug smile in his mind.  
Anju blushes at that sudden question and turn away to hide it. "Yes…" she answered reluctantly. She felt embarrassed with Katsu asking something like that. She was afraid that Katsu might see her differently if he knew that she hugged a lot of men and girls. Usually she wouldn't care about something like that, but she felt that anxious drive.

Katsu felt disappointed. _Would have been nice if I was the only guy she hugged. _

Katsu's head then started to spin. His eyelids felt heavy and a light sense of nausea overcame him. He fell on Anju's lab. She drew a sharp breath in surprise.

"Are you alright Katsu?" she asked. No one ever collapsed on her lab before. She liked the feeling of his head on her lab.

Katsu responded with a groan and tried suppress the sense of nausea. Anju touched his forehead to check if he had a fever. An aftereffect of venom failure is possible, she thought. Little did she know that it was a side effect of Jun's pills.

Katsu felt her hands on his forehead and instinctively grabbed Anju's wrist.

"Don't erase my memory" he said with determination in his eyes and then lost consciousness on Anju's lab.

* * *

Sorry for this major delay of almost 3 weeks for this chapter. I just had a lot of things going on. First I was planning a trip to Beijing with my friends, a plan which got crushed by Mum less than 72 hours after its formation. Then my parents decided to travel to a nearby province to look at random Chinese ancient villages. I have looked at dozens of them in the past few years. Once you have seen one, you have seem the all. I will try to get chapter 12 done, since I am back home now and got 6 days free before school starts again.

Thanks for reading and your patience!


	12. Chapter Twelve Back in the Mansion

**Chapter 12 – Back in the Mansion**

Katsu slowly opened his eyes and let out a groan. His head was hurting like hell. After a few moments he noticed that this wasn't the bed of the hostel he was staying. The pillows were too soft and the blanket too thick. He pressed his nose against the pillow and found that it had a girl's scent. He then sat up and looked around. He was in a large room that was packed with dolls. He looked to the left and noticed that a huge black curtain keeping all light out. _Where the hell am I?_

Then it all came back to him. He remembered getting bitten by Anju, her confession that she is a vampire and then falling unconscious on her lap. He instantly started to feel nervous, but then noticed that he was actually remembering all these things. He smiled.

He got off the bed and carefully opened one of the curtains to get a peek outside. It was pitch dark outside. _What time is it anyway? Close to midnight?_

Katsu then heard a door creek and quickly turned around to discover that Anju had entered the room. She had a cup in her hand.

"Oh, hi Anju" Katsu greeted her.

"You finally woke up." Anju said with relief.

Katsu raised an eyebrow. "What you mean finally? How long have I been sleeping?"

"You have been asleep for over 24 hours straight." Anju answered.

Katsu gave her a confused look. "Oh."

Anju walked over and sat down next to Katsu. Even though Katsu had a splitting headache, he started to feel nervous. He then noticed the enormous empty feeling in his stomach. A moment later his stomach growled.

"Do you by any chance have something to eat?" Katsu asked, slightly embarrassed.

Anju looked at Katsu's stomach. "Vampires don't need food. The only thing that vampires can taste, and find delicious is blood. If we eat human food, it will feel like sand and ashes in our mouths."

Katsu gave her a startled look. For a moment he forgot that Anju was a vampire. He blinked and then shook his head. It then occurred to him that it was in the middle of the night and that there might be other vampires in the house.

"Oh yeah, by the way Anju, are your parents vampires too? You know the people I met the first time I came to your place." Katsu asked.

Anju nodded. "Yes, everyone in this house is a vampire."

Katsu gave her a worried look. _Yeah, everyone except me._

"Aren't they going to notice that there is a human in your room? I mean, I heard that vampires got a very good nose." Katsu asked.

"Where did you hear that?" Anju asked, completely calm. It send a chill up Katsu's spine, but then again, that's one of the things he liked about Anju: her stoic personality with occasional showings of emotions.

"TV, books and all that." Katsu replied casually. This wasn't a lie.

Anju stood up and walked across the room to pick up Boogie-kun, who has been commanded to keep silent. Anju didn't want to give Katsu a heart attack right after he woke up. She knew that talking dolls were unusual among humans; even among vampires they are rather unheard of.

"They aren't going to notice your presence. I blocked off your smell with some of my bats and they are outside feeding." Anju answered emotionlessly.

"Ok…that's good." Katsu said, slightly absent minded. He was wondering why Anju got so cold all of sudden. _Would be nice if she showed more emotion like last time…_ Little did he know that Anju was trying to hide her emotions with her emotionless 'act'.

Katsu looked around the room to try to find something else besides dolls. He would have asked Anju about the huge number of dolls she has collected, but there was something else bothering him.

"Do your parents know that I know that you are a vampire?" Katsu asked hesitantly. If her parents knew, things would become a lot more complicated for Katsu.

"No. They don't know." Anju said coolly.

Katsu sighed in relief and lay back down on the bed again. It was the first time he ever was in a girl's bed. He wanted to enjoy this as much as he could, while he could. Anju walked over and sat down next to Katsu.

Anju then remembered some of the scenes in the shojo manga that Maki lend Karin in her high school days. A guy and a girl sitting on the same bed, she thought, and then blushed at the images that came to her mind. She turned her head to hide the slight blush. _What's wrong with me?_

Boogie-kun grinned whatever grin his body could do and thought out: "Hormones playing up with again Anju? Why don't you just nail him here and now and then erase his memories?"

Anju scowled at Boogie-kun. "Don't think loud right now or else I'll send your soul to hell". Katsu, who was lying on the bed, didn't notice any of this.

Katsu sat back up again. "Why did you bring me here if there is the danger of your parents finding out that you brought a human boy to your room?" he looked at Anju, he noticed that her eyes looked very tired. "Just imagine the consequences if they found out that their pretty teenage vampire daughter brought a human boy of the same age to her room without letting them know beforehand."

Katsu shuddered at the thought of some of the consequences.

"At least that boy has a good taste for girls…" Boogie-kun thought to Anju.

"You would freeze if I left you in the park and you didn't tell me where you lived before you fainted…so this place was the only option." Anju replied and silently squeezed Boogie-kun's neck. She let go right before he was about to make a sound.

"Oh thanks…" Katsu said, slightly taken back and embarrassed. His stomach growled again. _I'd give ANYTHING for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich right now…_

"Why do vampires not need food? I mean if you look closely…" Katsu looked at Anju's body and then her fangs. "you look pretty much like a human besides the fangs."

Anju felt her hear make a jump as she felt Katsu's eyes going over her. Normally she would whack any male who looked at her whole body, but something blocked her brain from sending these commands to her arms. She felt frozen.

"Even we vampires don't know why we don't need human food. Once we start drinking your blood, we lose all taste for food and the only thing that we find delicious is human blood." Anju said emotionlessly, it send a chill up Katsu's spine, especially when combined with what she just said.

"But don't you get tired of blood sometimes? I mean it all tastes the same." Katsu said with an awkward smile.

He started to rub the back of his head. It still hurts. His hands then went over his neck. Using his index finger, he slowly went over the area where he thinks Anju bit him. He felt two small holes in his neck. He pulled back in surprise.

"So I really did get bitten…" Katsu muttered under his breath, which of course still got picked up by Anju's vampire ears.

"I'm sorry…" Anju apologized weakly. She couldn't help but feel nervous and excited when she was around Katsu, yet at the same time she felt comfortable and save.

"Is the wound alright?" she asked and moved closer to get a better look at the holes in Katsu's neck.

Drawn by the strong scent of blood still emitting from the holes she made, she kept coming closer until her nose was almost touching his neck. She inhaled the scent slowly and then let out a profound sigh. She started to feel her fangs grow. _I just fed less than a day ago…_

Katsu could feel Anju's warm breath on his neck. He himself could smell her hair very clearly. He took a deep breath and wanted to rest his head on hers. _That would get me killed for sure…_

"Uhm Anju?" Katsu said hesitantly.

Anju blinked and shook her head. _Not good, I still get thirsty when I smell his blood. _"The wound isn't deep, it should heal soon".

"The hell it will heal soon." Boogie-kun thought to Anju again. "I bet your fangs were longer than ever". His neck got a tight squeeze again.

"That's good to know." Katsu said and smiled. "Wouldn't want to have permanent holes in my neck."

For a moment, Anju stared at his smile with a blank expression. The pull of his smile was almost as strong as the scent of his blood. Anju blinked and smiled back.

Anju didn't understand herself. There was something about Katsu that made her feel jovial. A warm feeling that she hadn't felt since Karin accepted Kenta-kun's proposal. She felt happy. She felt as if she could talk him to him with no worries, now that he knew her true identity. And to her own surprise, the fact that he knew didn't worry her as much as she expected herself to be. For some reason, she felt save around Katsu despite the fact that she was stronger than him.

She smiled at that thought. _Stronger than Katsu. _Since the time she got 'saved' by Katsu, she felt a certain excitement lingering in her.

Katsu looked around in the room again and his glance fell on the cell phone lying on the small table next to the bed.

"You have a cell phone?" Katsu asked, surprised to find that even vampires have kept up with today's rapid electronics advancements. Judging from the old mansion and the furniture style, he didn't expect them to even have a microwave.

He reached for the Anju's phone and dialed his own number into it. His own phone rang.

"What are you doing?" Anju asked.

"Don't worry, I won't look at your messages. I just want to get your number into my phone." Katsu replied while putting Anju's phone back.

"What time is it anyway?" Katsu asked.

Anju looked at her watch. "Almost midnight."

Damn it, Katsu thought. _Jun probably thinks that I'm dead since I haven't showed up within 24 hours. _

Anju felt an aura emitting from Katsu. Luckily her blood taste is loneliness.

"What's the matter?" Anju asked.

"My mother is arriving in Tokyo at 1 am. Damn it, if she finds out that I got home after midnight, I'll be grounded until I get to college." Katsu lied. _I should get back as soon as possible so that Jun doesn't waste money on a tombstone for me. _

Katsu stood up and tested all his limbs again. Besides the headache, everything felt fine.

"This way." Anju said and showed Katsu down to the living room and then to the front door. She opened the door for him and he carefully stepped out.

"Thanks" he said with a smile and started jogging down the hill. After a few moments, he turned around and waved.

Smiling gently, Anju waved back. The warm feeling engulfed her again. She felt really out of character with all these emotions. _Is this what Usui Kenta was talking about?_

_

* * *

_

To be honest, I'm not that happy with this chapter. I couldn't get a good grab on the flow until around the second page and I didn't want to rewrite the whole chapter. Maybe later on I'll rewrite this chapter. I'm also planning to make a revision to every chapter written so far (aka correct grammer mistakes, spelling errors and rewrite some sentences that could be better).

Anyways, is anybody else reading this looking foward to the last Pendragon book? (The Soldiers of Halla). I already pre-ordered it (screw the enomous shipping fees to China!).

Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter Thirteen Katsu On His Own

**Chapter 13 – Katsu On His Own**

Anju closed the door and started walking up the stairs to her room. She sniffled to check how strong Katsu's scent was. It was very faint; no one should notice it unless they actually try to detect it. _But grandma might notice. _

There was no way to erase his scent before they all came back from feeding. She could only hope for the best. For the first time, she was glad to be home alone. It gave her time to look at the whole situation and prepare explanation, just in case if anybody noticed the scent.

Anju walked into her room and sat down on her bed. She could feel Boogie-kun's eyes staring holes into her back.

"What the hell were you thinking Anju!" Boogie-kun shouted. "You let that bastard find out that you are a vampire!"

Anju turned around to and scowled at Boogie-kun. "Be quiet." she said solemnly.

"The hell I will!" Boogie-kun shouted back and waved his butcher knife around. "Do you have any idea how strong his scent is in your room? I got no nose, but even I can sense it!"

Anju didn't say anything. The moment she walked back into her room, she noticed how strong Katsu's scent in her room was. She could only hope that nobody in her family would come up to check on her. _There is nothing I can do. _

"What's done is done girlie." Boogie-kun sighed. "But you're in a hell lot of trouble. Even if we open up the windows, some of his scent will still remain in the house."

Anju was silent. She knew how much trouble she was in. Especially Elda would get extremely mad. She already lost one granddaughter to a human; she would not accept her second granddaughter getting involved so closely with humans. Furthermore, she hated humans more than garlic and oily blood combined.

Anju stood up and sat down on the ground to be on the same level as her dolls. She was surrounded by dolls that she had collected ever since she could walk. Over half of them had someone's soul in them. They all stared at Anju, dead silent and waiting for Anju to say something. Anju ignored them.

"Why didn't you erase his memory after you bit him?" Boogie-kun asked solemnly. When Boogie-kun was serious, which he rarely is, then he meant. It. A happy-go-lucky stripped shirt serial killer is rarely serious.

Anju was silent. "I don't know." she said with no emotion, after spending a few moments thinking.

"Why didn't you erase his damn memory?" Boogie-kun repeated, he was starting to get annoyed with Anju's agitation. He never saw his master so agitated before.

"It felt wrong to erase his memory." Anju replied slightly absent mindedly. "I was the one who lost control and bit him. It would be unfair to erase his memory because I was the one who let him find out."

Boogie-kun let out an impatient sigh. "Anju, you lost control when you bit Kobuchi and you were alright with erasing his memories. Since then you bit hundreds of people and erased their memories without a second thought! What's so wrong with erasing the memories of this Katsu person?" Boogie-kun said infuriating way.

"Katsu was still conscious after I bit him." Anju said, almost trying to defend herself from Boogie-kun's outbursts. Inside, she knew that Boogie-kun was right and what she has done was irresponsible. But she didn't regret it, quite the opposite in fact. Anju felt almost relieved that Katsu knew that she was a vampire. She felt as if she just got more intimate with Katsu. She felt happy.

"Who the hell cares if he was still conscious! For the love of God, knock him out with bats!" Boogie-kun shouted.

Anju looked at the window behind Boogie-kun and stared at the moon that shone brightly. She wondered what this warm feeling was that felt in her bosom every time she was with Katsu.

Seeing how his master was calmly agitated, Boogie-kun let out a profound sigh and decided to drop the matter with Katsu knowing her true identity_. Might as well take a different approach. _

"Anju…" Boogie-kun said with a sigh, all anger gone now. "Do you love him."

Anju felt as if something hit her chest hard. _Do I love him?_ She blushed at the thought. She pictured Katsu's face in her mind. His black spiky hair, his dark eyes, his carefree smile. She felt the excitement in her bosom again. Her face showed no emotion.

She stared at the ground and could feel all her dolls looking at her. She took a deep breath, let out a profound sigh and nodded slightly.

A smile played on the corners of Boogie-kun's lipless mouth. "Is that a yes?"

"I don't know." Anju answered dreamily.

Boogie-kun let out a sigh. Before he died as a serial killer, he was a teenage too, and he still remembers how rushing teenage love can feel like. _It's one hell of a feeling…the love can be stronger than some married couples. _

"Look Anju…I was once a teenager too and I know what it feels like to fall in love so quickly…" Boogie-kun stopped to see if he had her attention, Anju gave him a startled look.

"Yes Anju, I was a teenager too before I became a serial killer and died." Boogie-kun continued. "I know what teenage love feels like, and I'm telling you; this Katsu boy is the wrong choice. He is human, you are vampire. And unlike your sister, there is no way in hell that you can turn into a vampire. Besides, you grandma would go berserk if she found out that you have fallen from breasts to soul for a human."

"I haven't fallen in love with him." Anju said, almost pouting.

"But you do have romantic interest in that boy right?" Boogie-kun asked with a grin that only his body could pull off.

"I don't know." Anju said.

She really wasn't too sure herself. Whenever Katsu was around, she felt excited and happy at the same time, almost delirious. She felt warm and comfortable around him. She wanted to lean closer and feel his warmth. She felt a perplexing happiness engulf her. Little did she know, that some call this 'love'.  
What are all these emotions, she thought to herself and tried to imagine Katsu's face. It felt as if it was permanently burned into her mind.  
"That's called hot first love." Boogie-kun said with a smug. "I don't know that thought was meant for me to see ey?"

Anju stared blankly at Boogie-kun, something she never did before. Usually, everything she does has a reason.  
"I like him?" she thought to herself  
"Yes you do girlie." Boogie-kun thought back again. "That thought wasn't for me either ey?"  
Downstairs someone opened the door. A member of the Maaka family has returned from feeding.

--

Katsu got out his keycard and opened the door to his motel room. Jun and a couple of henchmen were watching a random anime on TV. None of them noticed Katsu opening the door. Katsu decide to slam the door to get their attention.  
They all turned around in surprise to discover that Katsu had come back.  
"You're back!" Jun beamed and crossed the room to hug him. It was then that Katsu realized how much larger Jun was.  
"What you mean I'm back!" Katsu said as he managed to escape Jun's arms. "You thought I was a goner?"

Jun, laughing, slapped his own forehead. "Oh man! You didn't call or show up within 24 hours, so I thought that our little Anju wiped your mind."  
The henchmen started walking towards Katsu and formally shook his hand one by one and congratulated him.

"Why are you congratulating me?" Katsu asked, startled by all the formal handshakes.

Jun grinned. "You are the first human in history to get bitten by a vampire, and come back with his memories in one piece to tell the tale!"

"Although there is one thing I'm curious about…" Jun said while setting the TV on mute. "What were you doing all the time? Don't tell me you were fighting the vampires."

Katsu smiled. He always wanted to act smart and superior with someone older than him. He started to tell Jun how it felt like to when Anju bit him and how he could feel the pills fighting her venom. He told Jun how he stayed conscious and then grabbed Anju's wrist as she put her hand on his forehead, he then told Jun about how Anju 'confessed' to him that she is a vampire, how he lost consciousness and then finally woke up in the mansion. Katsu watched in amusement how Jun's jaw dropped when he told him about how Anju was worried about him when he woke up and then simply let him go.

Jun was staring at Katsu blankly after Katsu finished his story. Jun then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man." he said as he was calming down. He then gave Katsu a serious look.

"I have gained so much more respect for you Katsu. You managed to seduce a vampire without even trying!"

"Uhm…thanks." _Actually I tried, but I shouldn't tell him that now. _"Wait, what you mean with 'managed to seduce her'?"

"It's what I mean, you seduced her." Jun said with a devilish smile. "I think it is pretty obvious that she has, or at least is beginning to, fallen for you. From what you have told me, everything indicated that she has interest in you. Don't ask me if she sees you just as a permanent blood supplier or as an actual man, or vampire."

"I don't quite understand…" Katsu said. Actually he did understand, he just wanted to hear Jun list all the things that indicate that Anju likes him.

Jun sighed. "First off, she hesitated when she was going to erase your memory. Usually vampires do it as soon as they place their hand on their targets head. Second, she could have knocked you out with bats when you were still conscious, in an emergency, she could have knocked you out with brute force. Third, she didn't erase your memory when you fainted, quite the opposite, she took care of you! And finally fourth, she let you go, meaning that she trusts you completely with her secret."

Katsu thought about all that for a few moments. "But wouldn't getting involved so closely get me in trouble. I mean, Anju is around my age, I'm sure a lot of male vampires would target her."

Jun shook his head. "I doubt that a lot of male vampires actually acknowledge a human has rivals in love."

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. Your grandpa called." Jun said as he was looking at the 50 page document on Katsu's desk.

"I should call him back?" Katsu asked. He hasn't talked to the old man in weeks.

"Yeah I think that would be good."

Katsu got out his cell phone and selected 'Old man' from his contacts list. He waited for his grandpa to pick up. After five rings, somebody picked up the receiver.

"Who is it?" an old man asked sleepily.

"Sorry to wake you grandpa, it's me Katsu."

"Katsu!" grandpa exclaimed. "Good to hear from you! You don't know how worried I was when Jun told me that you haven't come back from the uhm…Biting process.'

"Yeah, but I managed to get back."

"So how is the investigation going?" Grandpa asked.

"I guess it's going good…" Katsu said. "I became acquainted to a vampire, and now I'm working on building the trust."

"More like engaged." Jun said from behind. Katsu gave him a look that told him to shut up.

"Sorry to tell you this, but I'm afraid I will have to ask you to work faster." Grandpa said hesitantly. "The homework that you classmates bring every day is starting to build up. The pile is starting to scare me now."

Katsu groaned. "What homework is there?" he asked, not wanting to hear the answer. He heard Grandpa picking up some papers.

"I just picked some random papers from your desk. Let's see, _Nuclear Power Essay Assignment _and _Solution to Poor Infrastructure in Urban Cities_ _Essay Assignment _are at the top of the pile." He heard Katsu wince in pain.

"Anything else that's just as bad?" Katsu asked, now afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes. Your homeroom teacher called today and said that you should start coming to school and start revising because exams are going to start in one and a half months."

Katsu let out a profound sigh. "I'm in 10th grade now, I can't afford to fail anything now can I…"

"I'm really sorry Katsu…"

"Nah…it's alright." Katsu said with a sigh. "What should I do to finish the job?"

"Katsu did you even look at the booklet I send you?"

Out the corner of his eye, Katsu saw the booklet covered in dust on his desk.

"I read the introduction…" Katsu said slowly.

"There is no introduction." Grandpa said with a sigh. "Alright I will tell you. It would be best if you could bring me a DNA sample from the vampire. Preferably blood, but hair or skin samples would do it too."

Katsu thought for a moment. "I think two weeks should be enough for me to get some of that stuff."

"Just don't take too long. Your desk looks like it's going to collapse if anymore paper piles up there"

"Alright, alright. I'll get it done within two weeks. Bye." Katsu said, annoyed, and hung up.

He turned to Jun. "How the hell am I supposed to get a blood sample from a vampire?"

"To be honest man, I have no idea."

"Oh gee, that helps a lot."

Jun thought for a moment. "I think you should build your trust with her further. You have been to her place, maybe she will trust you even more if you invite her over."

"Sorry man can't do. I told her that I live in her house, not a motel room. If she discovers that I lied once, she will assume that everything else is a lie." Katsu replied.

Jun shrugged. "You can just tell her that they are painting the walls in your house, and now you live here just for a little while. You could send your parents to a Europe trip."

"No offence, but that lie sucks."

"Aw c'mon. You lied yourself all the way to here. Every second you told her was lie. Can't be that hard to make another lie."

After a moment consideration, Katsu decided to go with that. "Alright, I will invite her over and tell her that lie."

"How are you gonna invite her over?" Jun asked. "Don't tell me you got her number already."

Katsu nodded. Jun and the henchmen whistled.

"Invite her over in maybe two days, sleep with an open window tonight, and keep the window open all day long tomorrow." Jun instructed.

"Why should I do that?" Katsu asked.

"Well if you are going to invite her over, it would be best for me to vanish because she already knows my voice from the first encounter and I don't want to risk her recognizing my scent." Jun explained.

Katsu nodded, it did make sense.

Jun picked up a notepad from Katsu's desk wrote down two numbers. He handed the notepad to Katsu.

"The first number is my private cell phone number. Call me whenever you need me." Jun explained. "The second is to use in an ABSOLUTE emergency only alright? You will only need to dial it and we will locate you wherever you are and come to aid you."

Katsu nodded, somewhat dumbstruck by the fast development.

"I'm going to leave now so that my scent will start fading away." Jun said and started walking towards the door. "Don't forget to open the windows.

"Wait!" Katsu exclaimed. "I don't what the hell do to without you!"

Jun grinned. "Aw c'mon you managed to seduce little Anju without my help. I'm sure you can handle this by yourself. Call me if you need me."

With that, Jun and his henchmen left.

Katsu was alone.

* * *

Ok. 13. Unlucky number lol. Anyways, chapters might get a little slower in the couple of weeks to come because I got exams in 2 weeks (I'm in 10th grade, can't afford to fail anything) and I seriously need to get into a secure spot with maths. I also just got a dozen books from amazon. If you have any suggestion for improvement or want to see something in future chapters, please drop by a review or send a message. I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter Fourteen Katsu's Scent

**Chapter 14 – Katsu's Scent**

Downstairs someone opened the door. A member of the Maaka family had returned from feeding. Boogie-kun groaned.

"That's it girlie, you're dead…" Boogie-kun sighed.

Both listened intently to the sound of the footsteps. Whoever just came home, he or she is coming upstairs.

"Must be either mother or father" Anju muttered under her breath.

Elda sleeps most of the time, so only Henry and Calera are close enough to Anju to come upstairs to check on her. Elda always preferred Karin from the very beginning anyway. Anju couldn't care less about how close she was to Elda, but now that Katsu's scent is all over the house…

Someone knocked on the door. "Anju, can I come in?" It was Calera.

Before Anju could answer, Calera stepped into the room. Anju has been acting agitated and more silent than her usual self in the past few days. She was worried about her daughter. Teenagers were known to have abrupt mood swings.

"Hi Anju, just came up to che-" Elda abruptly stopped. Her nose twitched slightly. Something smelled different. A second scent was mixed with Anju's scent in the room. A male scent. A human male.

"What is it mother?" Anju asked innocently and with no emotion. She knew very well why Calera stopped. She could smell Katsu's scent too, it was quite strong.

Calera looked at her daughter while still sniffling the second scent. She had smelled this somewhere before quite recently. She couldn't remember when and where.

"Stop acting innocent Anju." Calera said, annoyed by Anju's act. "Both you and I know that there is a male's scent in your room."

Calera let out a sigh. She couldn't remember where she smelled this scent before. It was quite strong.

"I know you're at that age Anju, but don't bring any male vampires into your room without at least letting me know in advance. Not to mention how your father would react to that." Calera shuddered at the thought of Henry crying all night long like wuss.

"He really should grow up." Calera added.

Anju could feel Boogie-kun grinning. "You're at that age Anju." Boogie thought to Anju. "Even your mother knows that."

Calera, who was still transfixed by the strong male scent in the room, walked over to Anju's bed; where Katsu's scent was the strongest. Anju was starting to feel nervous. Calera might be able to recognize Katsu's scent if she sits down the stop where Katsu was sleeping. Once a vampire smells one scent, it stays in their memories for at least fifty years. And Katsu's scent was especially strong, and especially transfixing to Anju.

Calera sat down on the bed.

Here goes nothing, Boogie-kun thought.

Calera's eyes widened. Boogie-kun would have screamed out loud, but knew that he shouldn't. Anju was starting to becoming more nervous.

Calera recognized the scent. Wide eyed, she looked at her daughter in shock.

"Anju…this the scent of the person called Katsu? The one who gave you a piggyback ride home and then fled?" Calera asked, both surprised and shocked by how daring her daughter is.

Anju, trying to avert her mother's look, nodded.

Calera was just about to open her mouth to say something when someone slammed open the door downstairs.

"I'M HOOOME!" Elda called out cheerfully. She feels slightly hyper every time she came back from feeding.

Anju was now cool and collected. _What's done is done. Mother knows anyway._  
"WHO'S SCENT IS THAT?!" Elda cried out.

Boogie-kun have Anju the most worried look his doll eyes could do and drew a sharp breath to calm himself down. "For someone who is over 200 years old, her nose sure is good" he thought to Anju.

"Quiet, I need to handle this situation" Anju thought back.

The three of them heard Elda rush up the stairs, who was following the source of the unfamiliar scent.

She stormed into Anju's room and demanded: "Whose scent is that!"

Calera flashed Anju an urging glance and managed to smile weakly. Anju could feel her palms sweating. Elda was the most powerful vampire alive. And having her pissed was extremely dangerous. The Brownwick family got the living crap out of themselves. Some members were still in the hospital. No one died though...

"The truth, the whole truth, and a little bit lies" Anju thought to herself and drew a deep breath. _This is it. _

"Well?" Elda demanded impatiently. She hated humans and considered every vampire outside her family as an enemy, a unfamiliar scent inside the house is outrageous to her.

"Grandma…" Anju began, she drew a sharp breath. "Did father and mother tell you about the incident where Onee-chan nearly got kidnapped by molesters?"

Elda nodded.

"Do you know who saved Onee-chan?" Anju asked. Boogie-kun flashed her a nervous glance. _Whoa, whoa girlie, are you gonna tell him out? _

"They told me that you were the one who saved Karin." Elda answered, still waiting for Anju to tell her who's scent is in the air.

"Yes, that's what I told them, and it was a lie." Anju said emotionlessly.

Calera looked at Anju in both shock and surprise. It was the first time her daughter ever lied to her when she asked her something. _Why did Anju try to hide the identity of the person who saved Karin?_

"Anju…" Calera said, slightly worried about the situation. "You told me that it was you who saved Karin."

"I lied." Anju said plainly and with no guilt. She saw no reason to feel guilt. She was protecting Katsu after all.

"I couldn't risk letting Onee-chan see me, because even just a glimpse could lead her to remember everything. That is why I waited in the shadows until the very last moment, hoping for someone else to show up and call the police." Anju explained. "Then this human boy showed up and drove off the molesters."

Anju looked at Elda. Her only response was a nod, telling her to continue.

"Earlier this night," Anju continued. "I met this human boy again. He was beaten half dead by a high school delinquents gang. Since he was the one who saved Onee-chan from possible rape, the only way to repay him was to save his life."

"And you brought him here to let him recover?" Elda asked.

Anju nodded.

You're getting pretty good at lying, Boogie-kun thought to Anju.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, Anju thought back.

"Of course I erased his memory right after he left earlier." Anju added.

Calera looked at her daughter; she knew that she was still hiding something. She wanted to ask who this human boy was, but she already knew the answer more or less.  
Elda nodded. She seemed to accept Anju explanation.

"I'm going out to look for Henry." She declared and jumped out of the window. She had a sly smile on her face. You have a lot more to learn about lying, she thought. _A youngster like you can't trick me with a lie like that. _She was determined to get to the bottom of whatever Anju was desperately hiding.

Anju watched Elda jump out of the window and then onto a tree. She let out a sigh of relief and started to walk out of the room.

"Wait, Anju" Calera said with a solemn tone.

If Boogie-kun's body could, he would a gulped. _Whoa, never seen your mother that serious since your sis got mind wiped. _

"Who is this 'human boy' who saved Karin?" Calera asked, her eyes narrowing. She knew that her daughter was hiding the full truth from Elda. "I'm your mother, don't expect me not to notice when you are trying to hide something.

"It was the same human boy who saved me from the vampire hunters." Anju said. "His name is Katsu."

"Ah right, the one who gave you a piggyback ride home." Calera said, and then let out a profound sigh. "Anju, isn't it obvious that he is trying to gain your trust?"

Anju thought about it for a moment. And then said: "Mother, if he wanted me, he wouldn't have saved me from the vampire hunters. At that time, he hadn't saved me, I would have been captures a long time ago."

Boogie smirked. "Oh he wants you alright. Just in a different way" he thought to Anju.

"Then how do you explain the fact that he ran away using the bathroom window when he first came to this our home?" Calera continued to ask.

Anju decided to sit down and then explained the same thing to Calera that Katsu has told her previously. Katsu's lie was perfect. Anju told her about the jammed bathroom window, the pressure to go home because of his mother (Calera nodded approvingly to that) and how he saved Karin because he wanted to come to apologize for his fleeing act.

"He couldn't come during the day because his mother grounded for coming back late" Anju added. Calera nodded approvingly again.

Calera decided to ask the deciding question. "Did you erase his memory?" she asked, looking Anju directly into the eyes.

Anju's only response was a slight nod.

"Oh for the love of God Anju, stop lying." Calera said dramatically. "I'm your mother, I can tell when you are lying or not."

"Why didn't you erase his memory?" Calera asked, somewhat already knowing the answer.

"I didn't feel that there was any need to" Anju replied. "He risked his life to save Onee-chan, it seemed only fair to let him keep his memories". She decided not lie that Katsu didn't know that she was a vampire. Anju remained silent about that, afraid that Calera will notice that she lied if she said that.

"Are you going to tell father about this?" Anju asked, calm and collected.

Calera nodded. "If I don't tell Henry, then your grandmother will. And God knows what things she might add between the lines."

Calera started to walk out of Anju's room. "Oh yea Anju" she said before she walked out. "Don't make a mistake."

And with that she left.

Boogie-kun let out a sigh of relief. Anju was just glad that everything went fine. Anju walked over to the door and closed it so that nobody could hear what they are saying.

"You told them so much, you might as well have leaked that Katsu knows that you are a vampire." Boogie-kun said.

Anju was silent.

--

It was 11 am. Katsu was lying on his bed. It has been two days since he got bitten by Anju. He decided to follow Jun's advice and keep all windows open for a couple of days. Luckily it was late spring, the air wasn't cold.

Katsu looked over to his desk. On it were three things: the 50 page booklet, a certificate send by Jun to confirms that he is first person in history to have 'survived' a vampire biting, and a leather badge that registered him as a _Honor Member Rank B_ of the Vampire Hunter guild, which was also send over by Jun yesterday.

Katsu wanted to invite Anju over. After some thought, he decided that Jun's 'painting the walls' excuse that pretty good. Now all he needed was a good reason for Anju to come over. He took some tortilla chips out of his bag and opened a can of Coke. He simply sat there on the bed, watching TV and crunching tortilla chips for a while. Then it hit him.

"Anju can only taste blood…" he said to himself. _Why can she only taste blood?_

Katsu decided to look at it from a more scientific angle.

"Something with taste buds…" he muttered to himself.

_Her taste buds only react to blood and make normal food taste like sand. That must be vampire instinct. To only taste blood. There must be a way to make her taste food…What if blood was mixed with food? Her taste buds would be forced to react to the blood, but food comes right along with it. There would be the possibility that she can taste both of the blood and the food. _

Katsu smiled. _Eureka!_

He turned on his laptop, paid for the hostels expensive wireless internet and searched for 'Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes'. He decided to mix in some of his own blood with the eggs. _The vanilla extract would work too I guess. _

He wrote down the ingredients list and went down to the reception. They told him that he could use the small hotel kitchen tonight if he wanted to. The cooks are on spring holiday. He thanked them and went down to the store and hunted down the ingredients. The vanilla extract was especially hard to find.

Katsu brought back the ingredients, took out his cell phone, went to his contact list and selected 'Anju'. He pressed dial.

Somewhere on the other side of the city, a sleepy vampire girl's heart started to beat faster.

* * *

Yeah and thats Chapter 14. In 2 weeks I will have final Grade 10 exams and I can't afford to fail anything this late into the cycle! Oh the pressure....I can't stand Trig and coastal development...Depending on how stressed I am with Trig, there might only be 1 chapter in the next 2 weeks. If you have any studying tips or think something could be improved in the chapters to come, please drop by a review or send me a message. I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading! And good luck on the finals to any student reading this!


	15. Chapter Fifteen Tricking Taste Buds

**Chapter 15 – Tricking Taste Buds**

It was close to 6pm. Katsu was standing in the small hostel kitchen and mixing together the dough for the cookies. He dumped sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla essence and eggs into a large mixing bowl. He mixed all of that together and started stir in flour, baking soda and salt. He looks at the dough and felt that there was something missing. He let out a small sigh.

"Time to add in the taste enhancer" he said himself and took out a small knife from the knife drawer.

He looked at the small knife. He really didn't want to cut himself, but he had to in order to get some blood for his little experiment. He took the small knife and gentle pressed it against his thumb. It was a lot easier when Jun cut his hand to tempt Anju into biting him, doing it alone was hard.

He continued to press the knife against his thumb. He didn't dare to apply more force. He liked to play basketball, losing his thumb would be disastrous. Not to mention the inability to press the space key on the keyboard. He pressed harder until a small drop of blood trickled down the knife and landed into the mixing bowl. Katsu decided that this was enough and wiped his thumb on the dough.

He couldn't help but smile when he did that. _Normally this would be disgusting, but this time it's necessary. _

He took the dough out and folded it a couple of times on the table. That was unnecessary, but with using his hands to handle the dough, but blood would be added, and hence more taste. Or at least that what he hoped would happen.

He formed the dough into about a dozen smaller balls and placed them on a baking tray. He then gently pressed each dough ball with a small fork. He put the tray into the pre-heated oven.

It was time to do the dishes. He dumped all the equipment he had used and turned on the hot water. He put on yellow rubber gloves.

He smiled when he started washing the bowls. He couldn't help but think of the conversation he had with Anju when he invited her over earlier. She was tried keeping some excitement and nervousness out of her emotionless voice. Her wavering revealed her pretty clearly. Boogie-kun had the time of his life after she hung up.

He looked out of the window. She will be coming soon, he thought and felt a sense of melancholy overcome him.

"Do I love her?" he thought to himself. And then out loud. "Do I love her?". It sounded strange when he actually said it, but it was different when he thought it to himself in his mind. To hear himself say something like that was simply…weird.

_She's the most beautiful person I've ever met, be it human or vampire. _He had no doubt about that. Only Ayaka would be able to compare with Anju. But Katsu's mind was completely overwhelmed by Anju's melancholic eyes and long tresses. No other girl he ever met would be able to beat those features, no other girl had them either. Anju was unique; both physically and mentally.

Katsu let out a profound sigh when he started thinking about his chances. She's a vampire and he is an average high school student. The chances were close to null. _But I've never seen somebody as gorgeous and mature, yet young and childlike, as Anju. _

He forgot that he didn't answer his own question. But in his heart he knew the answer. Yes.

Katsu spaced out for so long that he forgot that his hands were in steaming hot water. Some got inside his gloves.

He pulled back and cried out in pain. He swore to himself while turning off the tab. He never liked doing dishes. Baking was alright, but anything beyond that, the kitchen would suffer.

15 minutes later, he took out the cookie tray. He forgot to mix in the chocolate chips.

--

Anju slowly half opened her eyes. She glanced at the small watch next to her night table. It was almost 8pm. She agreed to me Katsu at 9pm. She assured him that 9pm was alright, mostly because she knew that humans slept quite early.

Normally Anju would wake up at 11pm is the earliest.

Half asleep she walked over to the bathroom and washed herself. She then walked over to her closet and picked out many of her near-identical dresses that she kept. She simply liked a combination of black and white.

Anju didn't bother to be extra quiet while washing and dressing. Henry and Calera usually woke up around midnight. Elda's sleeping pattern was random. Sometime she would read for two night straight and then sleep for three months. Little did Anju know that Elda was targeting her.

Downstairs Elda was asleep on the armchair. She was small enough to actually lie comfortable on the old European style armchair. Her eyes flashed open when she heard noise coming from Anju's room. She looked at the wall watch which was even older than the armchair. A sly smile formed on her sleepy face.

"Fufufu, just how early are you willing to wake up to avoid your family?" Elda chuckled to herself. The feeling of getting to the bottom of something, Elda had never felt this exited since James won her heart all the way back in medieval Japan.

"It feels good to be active again" she thought as she picked up a book to pretend to read.

Anju came down the stairs, carefully trying to keep the noise to a minimum. Even though she was sure that everyone was fast asleep, she didn't want to accidentally wake someone and be forced to explain where she was going so early in the night. Unlike Katsu, Anju was no good at coming up with lies on demand.

Her heart sank when she saw Elda sitting in the armchair, reading with a World War One oil lamp. Anju and Elda were never very close, mostly because Anju bared a striking resemblance to Calera's mother, Cecilia, whom Elda never liked. Even her chest got bigger than hers recently. Technically Elda should blame puberty, but then again, vampires know very little about modern science.

Elda turned around with a fake surprised look on her face. "Where are you going so early in the night?" she asked with no apparent interest.  
Anju thought for a second before she decided to on an answer. "I'm going for some air grandmother, I didn't sleep well" Anju replied emotionlessly.

Half of what Anju said was actually true. She didn't sleep well, since Katsu called during the day, she had trouble falling asleep. Boogie-kun had the time of his life dropping one smug comment after the other. As punishment, Anju decided to throw him into her closet for a couple of nights.

Elda turned around and pretended to continue to read her ancient book. She enjoyed the feeling of playing around.

"Are you going out to meet this human boy who save Karin?" Elda asked with no apparent interest.

Anju threw her an annoyed glance. _She should just leave me alone. _

"I erased his memory grandmother. I have no business with him" Anju replied coldly and walked toward the door.

"I'm just getting some air" she added just before she left, as if to make sure that Elda wouldn't be suspicious of her.

Elda went to the window and carefully pulled one of the curtains slightly to the side. She watched Anju walk down the hill a couple of meters before Anju summoned her bats and flew off into the early night. She couldn't help but smile and let out a sigh. Seeing Anju so active reminded her of her own teenage days. Back then she used to own every male vampire in practically anything.

When Elda was sure that she was outside of Anju's emotion and scent sensing radius, she opened the window and followed Anju's scent. Her nose was much stronger than any member of the Maaka family.

--

At 10pm Anju arrived at the hostel. Actually she had agreed to meet Katsu at 9pm, but she didn't know the city very well, and got lost while trying to find the address that Katsu gave her earlier. She didn't like to ask humans for information either, they would either give her strange looks (because of the dress), or a sudden rise in lust and desire (in the case of men).

She went up the stairs to reach the floor that stood on Katsu's instructions (something Anju didn't do very often. Who would climb stairs if they could fly).

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Moments later Katsu opened the door and his face instantly lit up.

"Anju, you came!" he beamed and quickly invited her in. Katsu was genuinely glad that Anju came. He hoped that he would be answer his own question to which he already knew the answer to. _Do I love her?  
_

"I got lost while trying to find the address you gave me." Anju explained.

Katsu smiled and sighed. "Yeah, this hostel is pretty small" he replied. "But it will have to do since I'm on a tight budget."

It only then that Anju realized that Katsu was living in a hostel room. And that his mother was nowhere to be seen. Katsu had told her that he was living a house with his mother.

"I thought you said that you lived in a house with your mother." Anju said while looking around in the room. She didn't summon any bats in preparation of a unsatisfying answer. Anju's mind was elsewhere. There was a delicious smell in the room, something unfamiliar and Katsu's blood.

"My mom decided to repaint the walls. Actually they were fine, but she said that she got sick of plain white." Katsu explained. "Every wall in my house is being repainted, it smells awful."  
Katsu grimaced. Anju saw that and couldn't help but smile a little. Katsu continued. "My mother decided to live temporarily with a friend of hers. But there isn't enough room, so she allowed me to rent a cheap hostel room."

Anju nodded and continued to look around in the room. There was a definite unfamiliar smell in the room, unfamiliar but delicious. She continued to sniff around to detect the source of the smell when her nose led her to Katsu's right hand. His thumb was wrapped around in bandage.

"You're bleeding." Anju said emotionlessly while her eyes were transfixed on Katsu's thumb. She licked her lips. "How did you do that?" she asked.

Katsu looked at his thumb. He hoped that it didn't tempt Anju too much. He didn't feel like getting bitten right now.

"That is part of the reason why I called you over" he said and went over to the closet to take out a plastic box. A box full of chocolate-chip-with-no-chocolate cookies, including a drop of Katsu blood. Anju felt her breathing get heavier. Her fangs grew a little.

Katsu opened the box and offered it to Anju. He had a confident smile on his face. "Try one" he encouraged her.

"I already told you Katsu, I can't taste human food" Anju said with a hint of remorse. "Sorry" she added and tried look away. She felt bad for 'making' Katsu go through all that trouble of making these cookies when she can't even taste human food.

Katsu's confident smile grew. He walked closer to Anju and looked her directly in the eyes. Anju's heart made a jump. And even though Katsu didn't show it, he was nervous when he moved closer to Anju, and not because he was afraid that she might bite him.

"Just trust me Anju" he said soothingly. "I assure you that there isn't any poison or that it tastes bad. In fact, I think it will open up a whole new world in the world of food. It's something I especially designed for you."

Hesitantly, Anju took one out of the box and carefully took a small bite. The last time she tried human food; she found it quite disgusting but swallowed it anyway. The feeling of having tasteless sand in one's mouth was really quite unpleasant.

She chewed and took a sharp breath. Katsu smiled in amusement while watching Anju's melancholic eyes grow wide with wonder. She immediately took a second bite and soon had eaten the entire cookie.

"I can taste food again" she declared, unable to keep the amazement and wonder out of her voice.

"How did you do this?" she asked. The taste electrified her senses. It felt like as if her tongue had a whole new world opened up. It felt as if her brain was receiving signals that her body was previously unable of. She had almost completely forgotten the taste of human food, let alone more western styled basking.

Katsu smiled and showed her his thumb again.

"I simply added blood to the ingredients" he explained. "I figured that if food that mixed with some of my blood, your taste buds would be forced to recognize the blood in the food, but if they are mixed with other things, then your taste buds would be tricked into accepting and processing the other ingredients of the cookie."

Anju didn't completely understand what Katsu tried to explain. She never really had science when she still went to the human school. Not that she regretted it, as a teenage vampire she had other things to worry about: such as dozens of admirers that were holding out for her hand in marriage. Since Calera was one of the only few female vampires who was able to bear children, Anju was much desired among male of vampires of all ages.

Anju didn't question Katsu's explanation and took her third cookie. She ate it in one bite. She closed her eyes and let out a profound sigh. She chewed slowly on the cookie, enjoying every moment of the taste that electrified her senses.

Katsu sat there on the bed and watched Anju fall in a trance with the taste of the cookies he made. He felt transfixed by Anju. Everything about her was attractive to him. Her elegant tresses, her calm, yet childlike face. Katsu let out a small sigh. _She is just gorgeous. Do I love her?  
_

_…Yes_

Anju swallowed and slowly opened her eyes. She could feel Katsu staring at her. For a second she actually enjoyed Katsu gazing at her.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly embarrassed. She turned away to hide her blush…and her smile.

Katsu made a split second decision. Be romantic or dodge.

He decided to dodge.

"I've just never seen anybody enjoy food so much" he said, laid back. "Usually whatever stuff I cook is terrible and people run away from it."

He walked over to Anju, who was still holding the box, and took a cookie out a cookie. He took a bite and half grimaced, half smiled.

"Tastes a little weird to me" Katsu commented on his own masterpiece. "Must be because of the blood I added in."

Anju felt her heartbeat increase and a certain excitement grow in her bosom as Katsu got closer. His scent was so strong now, she was mesmerized. Without thinking, she leaned closer.

Katsu noticed and froze. He didn't expect Anju to react so quickly to his scent. _First time I had a girl lean so close to me. _He didn't mind.

"You want to bite me?" Katsu asked, with the slightest of smugness in his voice.

"I'm a little thirsty from your cookies" was Anju's only reply. She was trying to restrain herself from reaching for Katsu neck.

Katsu felt himself drawn to her. Anju was so close now that he could clearly smell her sweet scent. Her face was so close that he could easily kiss her (and if she didn't like it, then he could call it an 'accident'). He decided to lean a little closer to her.

"You can bite me if you want to" he said to her.

Katsu's scent got irresistible and Anju quickly wrapped her around him. She wanted to bite him, but she was trying to restrain herself.

She bit her lower lip and quickly pushed herself away from him. She was breathing hard. It took a herculean mental effort to resist Katsu's scent.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled.

Katsu wanted to say something like "I'm proud of you", but decided to shut up instead. For once, he couldn't find a good reply.

"I think I should go…" Anju said emotionlessly (although slightly ashamed) and started to head towards the door. She didn't want to exit from the window, there was a house just a few meters away from the window, it was would be difficult to fly.

"Wait!" Katsu exclaimed, and grabbed her wrist. Anju's pupils contracted and she felt a burning anxiety in her bosom again.

Katsu noticed his wounded thumb and quickly let go.  
"Sorry…" he apologized.

"I should go home before my parents notice that I'm missing." Anju explained and opened the door to leave.

Katsu walked her to the lobby door and they both said good bye. He watched her walk about a hundred meters and waved her good bye.

Anju smiled and waved back. She was really glad that she found someone like Katsu. Someone who was very different from her male vampire admirers. Even though he was human, she liked him more than all the other male vampires. Anju knew that she was heading down a risky path, but then again, teenage love can be especially strong.

Katsu watched Anju walk away. He sighed. He was frustrated with himself for desiring a girl whom his chances were next to zero, yet he couldn't stop himself. He decided not to think about it anymore. _I'll just go with the flow and see what happens. _

He decided to buy some cups of noodles for tomorrow's breakfast. _You just gotta love the 24 hour convenience shops. _

Elda was tightly pressing herself to the wall. Katsu's room window was right next to her. She heard and saw everything. To her own surprise she didn't feel mad or furious. In fact, she had a devilish smile spread across her face.

When she first saw Anju in such good terms with a human boy, she wanted to break open the window and kill Katsu. But she then remembered that she was once young too, and that she once felt the same emotions that Anju is feeling right now, she restrained herself from busting into the scene.

But she wasn't going to let things flow the way they are right now.

The vampire population was still sinking and she was going to do something about it. There was no way in hell that she would let Anju get seduced by a human boy while the vampire population was decreasing. Anju was vital for the survival of the vampire species. And to much of Elda's dismay, Calera certainly did her part.

Elda opened the window using her long fingernails and jumped through the window. _Humans usually keep their secretive in their closet and their drawers, _Elda thought to herself. She decided to go through the drawers first because Katsu already opened up his closet once to take out the cookies. She opened the drawer and there she found three things: a booklet, a leather badge and a certificate.

Elda looked closer at the certificate and instantly started to get more suspicious of Katsu than she already was.

"First person to get bitten by a vampire and come to tell the tale huh" she mumbled to herself.

She took a closer look at the leather and badge and nearly crushed it to pieces, even though it is quite impossible to crush leather using brute force.

Elda was shaking with anger. She wanted to kill Katsu right here, right now. Wait till he comes back and rip his head off. She couldn't believe that this vampire hunter was able to come so close to Anju.

She was about to hide herself in the closet when an ingenious idea crossed her mind. A devilish smile spread across her face again.

She neatly put back Katsu's things back into the drawer, so that Katsu wouldn't notice that she came into his room and jumped out of the window. She used her bats to close the window.  
Elda started to fly home using her bats. _Just so you wait Katsu, I'm going to make you regret every last word you said to Anju._

Katsu came back twenty minutes later with some noodles and a bag of salty snacks. Completely unaware of what happened.

* * *

Well what can I say...Sorry for the long wait but FINALS ARE OVER! FINALS ARE OVER! FINAL ARE OVER (repeat a hundred times). Sorry for the long wait but I was just really too busy studying for exams. And the funny thing is, I already got back geography...and failed it. Average of 53%...ah, who cares about coastal management. Now that finals are over, all I can do now is wait for the final report cards. Those grades will decided wether or not I can do the higher level subjects I chose for the IB Diploma program. If I stop posting chapters, then you will know that my final grades weren't good enough and that I'm in a major depression. To any students reading, I hope you passed your exams :)

To be honest, I'm not that happy with this chapter. After over 2 weeks of no writing, I kind of feel like that my writing skills have rusted. I re-read what I wrote and it kind of felt like reading Twilight. Too much overgrossed vampire-human romance. Too fast development. I think I'll try to fix things up a little over the next chapters...

Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter Sixteen Anju's Agitation

**Chapter 16 – Anju's Agitation**

Elda had called together Henry and Calera for a meeting. The three of them were sitting in the living room, Calera and Henry waiting for Elda to say something. Usually Elda wasn't the sort of person who would call in whatever available family member for a meeting. She liked to do things on her own. She already knew what she was going to do about Katsu, but she felt that the other Maaka's should know about Anju's 'affair'.

They made sure that Anju's was kept busy while they are talking about her. There never was a shortage on vampire admirers who were just waiting to get the Maaka's permission to approach Anju (no matter how attractive Anju is, every male vampire still fears Elda more than the sun and garlic combined).

"We have serious problem." Elda declared.

Henry decided to interrupt right away. "Is it about the human boy called Katsu?" he asked with a worried tone.  
Ever since Calera told him about Katsu's in Anju's room, he had been constantly worried that his last daughter's purity will get spoiled. Just the scent of a male in Anju's room made him want to cry.

Elda decided to ignore Henry (just the over worried look on his made her want to hit him) and continued. "As both of you know there was a heavy male scent in Anju's room fairly recently. As it turns out the, the scent belongs to a human boy called Katsu."

Elda looked at Henry and Calera to see if they were with her. Calera tapped the ground with her foot impatiently. She never had a good relationship with her mother-in-law.

"Just two day ago, I caught Anju going out fairly early in the night" Elda continued while scowling at Calera. "I followed Anju, and it turns out that she was heading towards a hotel room were our fellow Katsu is living."

Calera let out a profound sigh and Henry completely broke down.  
Elda decided to skip the part with the cookies reawakening Anju's taste abilities and go straight to the part where Anju threw her arms around Katsu. _No need to put some positive light on our pathetic little vampire hunter._

"When she got to his room, it seemed like that his scent was too strong and Anju _uncontrollably_ threw her arms around him" Elda stopped to see everyone's reaction. Calera was calm as ever while Henry was reduced to a pond.

"She nearly bit him." Elda continued. "But decided to control herself." A sly smile grew on her face.

Calera raised an eyebrow. _Whatever she is going to say next, it will most likely be a lie._

"While she was trying not to bite him, he tried to kiss her." Elda with a devilish smile. She was enjoying this.

The pond of tears turned into petrol and became a gigantic flame.

"That's not all." Calera said. "To be sure, after they were both gone, I went into Katsu's room and the scent was identical to the one in Anju's room. But then I discovered something…"

The gigantic flame froze and Calera raised an eyebrow again. Henry was back again.

"In his closet, I found documents that proved that he is a _vampire hunter_!" Elda announced.

Henry's and Calera's jaws dropped. Even though they both suspected that Katsu might be a vampire hunter, they didn't actually expect that he was actually one (which he isn't anyway. Having that badge doesn't make you a full vampire hunter).

"It gets worse." Elda announced. "From what I've seen with what was going that night and Anju's recent behavior, it is very likely that she has fallen for this human."

Calera and Elda both let out a sigh of defeat. Henry turned into a vampire river again.

"Our daughters have a thing for human males, don't they…" Calera said while holding her hand against her forehead. "First Karin with Usui Kenta, and now possibly Anju…At least Ren turned out alright."

All three of them fell silent. Even Henry has stopped sobbing and started thinking. It was Calera who broke the silence.

"How is it this possible? With all these male vampires going after her, how can she possible fall for a mere human?" she asked no one in particular.

"Well I can't say for sure, but the young male vampires nowadays are complete failures when it comes to women." Elda answered.

"Can't say that for Ren…" Calera added.  
"True, true." Elda said with a nod. She herself was seduced by James; who was quite the womanizer.

"What do we do now?" Calera asked. "We can't allow Anju to completely fall a human. Our species' survival might depend on her."

"I will keep watching over Anju until she finds out that he is a vampire hunter. Once she finds out and is heartbroken, she will learn to never trust human males again." Elda replied. Calera raised an eyebrow skeptically. "That's it?" She expected the wild and human hating Elda to come up with something way more aggressive and bloody._No_, Elda thought. _There is a lot more to my plan, but I don't want to reveal it just yet…I want to let things develop little further._

"We will see how things develop. If she doesn't find out, then we will tell her or show her. If bad goes worse, we can always kill Katsu." Elda said.  
Calera didn't believe her. She expected Elda to come up with something much more painful. She decided to keep quiet for now and find out later. _Sooner or later she will act, and then her plan will be revealed anyway._

Suddenly Elda blinked and turned around, alert.

"What is it mother?" Henry asked.  
"Shhh…Anju on her way back. According to her footsteps sounds, she is quite irritated." Elda replied.

She then turned to Henry and Calera. "Actually if you look at the whole situation, it's the young male vampires' fault that Anju is falling for a human. They really are failures if they get Anju pissed when they are trying to seduce her."

Both Calera and Elda nodded again in agreement. Henry sank into the sofa, ready to cry again.

By the time Anju stepped through the front door, everyone in the living room was pretending to read something.

"Hi Anju!" Elda greeted her jovially as if nothing has happened.

"Why aren't you sleeping grandmother?" Anju asked with no interest in her voice. She never liked Elda very much, but she was still her grandmother and the most powerful vampire alive.

"Ahh, there are just so many things going on right now, I don't thing I will go back to sleep for a while!" Elda replied jovially again.

Anju lets out a sigh as she walks towards Calera.

"Those admirers are annoying mother. Will you stop giving them permission to enter our territory?" Anju asked, quite irritated.

"Ah c'mon Anju, they are just trying to be nice to you." Calera replied, trying to imitate Elda's jovial tone.

Without another word, Anju walked up the stairs to her room. She really did feel irritated with all those admirers outside. She can't even go out for a walk without running into one or two admirers. And her newly developed feelings for a certain human boy didn't help either.

When Anju closed the door to her room, Henry, Calera and Elda let out a sigh.  
"Maybe we really should kidnap Katsu and force him to teach some of the male vampires seduction techniques." Calera suggested with a sigh.

"Kidnap him; yes that's a good idea." Elda mused.

--

Anju closed the door to her room and sat Boogie-kun down on a small chair that was meant for a child's tea set toy. She walked over to her bed and then laid down, staring at the ceiling. She let out a tired sigh.

"Male vampires sure are persistent, aren't they?" Boogie-kun said. Even he was starting to get annoyed at the admirers chasing Anju. At the beginning it was fun to swear at them and then make fun of Anju afterwards. Now it was becoming just plain annoying.

"Mother should stop allowing them to enter our territory." Anju said as she covered her eyes with her arm. Constantly getting chased by persistent lovers is exhausting business.

"If I find the person I love, I will make my own choice. They don't need to come after me." Anju said.

"All of them are too old for me anyway" she added.

"Are you talking about Katsu?" Boogie-kun with a smirk on his doll face.

Anju sat up and threw him an angry glare. "If you keep being rude like that, I will wipe your soul off the face of this world" she threatened him.

Boogie-kun's smirk turned into a wide grin.

"May I inquire if m'lady was talking about the gentlemen named Katsu Takahashi?" Boogie-kun said with the most formal tone possible and a wide grin.

Anju's only response was to throw him into her closet. Boogie-kun managed to roll out a few minutes later.

"Anju," he said, now with in serious tone. "do you love him?"

Anju, startled by his sudden question, simple stared motionlessly at him.

"What did you just say?"

"You know very well what I just said Anju. Do you love him?"

Anju started to think. Even though her heart already knew the answer, it was her who couldn't understand these new, powerful emotions. Her heart knew it: she had fallen for Katsu from fangs to soul. She stood there, frozen, thinking about his carefree smile, his deep dark eyes, soft spiky hair and the voice that always made her feel at ease whenever she heard it.

Deep inside Anju knew that she loved him. Even though this is the first time she had such feelings for a boy, she knew this wasn't what some people would call 'like'. No…this definitely wasn't 'like'. A flourishing love which's fire was just starting to burn.

"I don't know" she finally answered Boogie-kun. She honestly didn't know her, or at least didn't understand. She didn't understand her own feelings.

Boogie-kun let out a almost frustrated sigh and said "I may be the spirit of a serial killer, but I was once a teenager too. The first person I killed was the first girl I ever had fallen far. She was just a playground crush, but she was the first girl I ever developed feelings for."

It was Anju's turn to be smug and mean.

"Why Boogie-kun," she said with a small smile. "I never knew that you were such a romanticist."

"Even a striped shirt killer has some sort of a heart, I guess." Boogie-kun said with a shrug.

"Boogie-kun, why are you worried about so much?" Anju decided to ask after a moment of thought.

"The hell girlie, I'm your friend, forever! I will support you whatever choice you make!" Boogie-kun boldly shouted out.

Anju smiled. "Thank you Boogie-kun" she said to him. She was extremely grateful to have a friend like him, even though she would never say that out loud.

"What you mean with 'whatever choice I make'? What choice?" she asked Boogie-kun.

Boogie-kun grinned. "Why, of course the of whether or not to confess to Katsu!".

Anju threw him against the wall. Hard.

Anju sat on her bed again and started to think. She had fed for tonight and gotten rid of every vampire admirer in the city. She had made it painfully clear that she wasn't the least interested in any of them.

She looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. Fairly early for vampires, sleeping time for most humans.

She considered visiting Katsu. Being a vampire, she didn't exactly have a good feeling for the sleeping patterns of humans. As far as she was concerned, many humans were quite active at night (one time Anju followed her feeding target to a night club).

Upside down, Boogie-kun smiled at Anju's thought. _She should learn to lock her thoughts from me better_.

"Go to him Anju. Maybe seeing him will make you understand your feelings." Boogie-kun suggested.

"Just remember: whatever choice you make, I will support you a hundred percent" he added.

"Thank you Boogie-kun" Anju said and felt like hugging Boogie-kun. She then instantly suppressed that feeling (it felt too out of character for her).

She went out of the window to avoid her family downstairs.

--

Elda's ears twitched. She let out a small sigh.

"Seems like little Anju is going out again" she announced. "It would be best if I follow her."

"I will join you mother!" Henry instantly volunteered, his eyes were filled with fire.

Calera and Elda instantly beat him into the ground.

"You will just lose control and destroy the entire game Henry" Elda said to her son. "Besides, this is girls only business."

She looked at Calera. "You should stay home and keep Henry in check. Don't want to come busting out and do something outrageous."

Calera's only reply was an agreeing nod. For once, Elda and her daughter-in-law seemed to corporate.

Elda stepped out of the front door and started to follow Anju's scent. She sighed inwardly and shook her head.

_Anju…Anju…_

_

* * *

_

I recently watched the anime version of Karin, and I only have one thing to say: boy am I glad I read the manga first. If I watched the anime first, I probably wouldn't ever have starred writing Anju's Chapters. In the anime version, it feels like as if Anju as lost whatever personlity she had. I think the director used her signature emotionlessness way too much and that pretty much killed off her appeal (or at least her appeal to me). In the manga, it felt that she had a lot more depth (she actually shows some emotion in there without making out go out of character).

Over the summer, I will be using a lot of the extra time building my blog using Wordpress and writing, writing, writing and more writing (probably a lot of reading too lol). Summer holidays haven't started for me yet...

Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter Seventeen Déjà vu

**Chapter 17 - Déjà vu**

It was close to midnight and Katsu's fingers were flying across the keyboard. He had asked grandfather to make scans of some of the essay assignment sheets so that he could get some bigger homework tasks done while he had nothing to do over the day. Not that he actually planned on working over the day, he was the type of person who's creative juices could only start flowing during the night. He could write essays during the day, but he wrote generally better and faster at night.

He had started at 6pm, and had been working nonstop since. According to his grandpa, there were another six waiting for him back home, and counting. He was starting the conclusion for his third essay. An essay every two hours, even he amazed with himself.

His fingers felt worn out, his eyes wanted a break and he wondered if he should demand a new laptop from his grandpa. The keyboard of the current laptop would probably hold out for another dozen essays or so.

"And in conclusion…" Katsu said to himself as he started typing the conclusion. He knew that this was the worst possible way to start a conclusion. But he didn't care anymore, he just wanted to get this third essay over with.

_Just a little more and I'm done with this crap…_

Two minutes later, he finished the conclusion and pressed 'Ctrl+S'. He raised both arms into the air and sighed "Yes!"

Normally a paragraph would take at least five minutes. Typing for nearly six hours straight really does some miracles. He fingers were flying seamlessly across the keyboard, despite the fact that he was one of the slowest typers in his class.

He plugged in his thumb drive and smiled as his laptop made an automatic backup of his documents. He let out a sigh of relief and walked over the small fridge and got out a cold can of coffee. He opened the lid and finished it in one go. It was only then that he noticed that the laptop fan was on.

He liked to work with an open window. The fresh night air allowed him to think better, it was just that his laptop couldn't stand the heat coming from the outside.

He watched Vista shut down slowly and closed his laptop. It was only then that he realized how tired he was. His fingers felt worn out, his eyelids were heavy and his brain felt completely drained. Every brain cell was fried for the sake of the essays.

_If I don't get a high mark for those essays, I'm gonna jump in front of a train…_

He decided to go to bed straight away. Earlier today he received a call from Jun, who told him that he had send him a package and that his subordinates would have it delivered by tomorrow noon. He didn't specify what the package would contain. Katsu let out an almost frustrated sigh as he remembered that conversation as he changed into his pajamas. _I just hope it isn't a box full of guns and grenades. _Katsu looked around the small room that he was currently living in. _There is no way in hell that I could hide a box of firearms in a room like this. _

Moments later, he lay in his bed. Eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. _Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have drunken the whole can in one go. _

He lay there for a while, and lost all sense about the time passing. Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh and sat up. He looked at the small clock on the nearby night table. It was nearly two in the morning.

He really regretted drinking the coffee. Anju dancing around in his head didn't help either. He decided to stop trying to sleep and simply lie there and think. Think about whatever came to his head. Obviously, Anju pretty much dominated Katsu's top 10 things to think about.

_She is a vampire and I am a human. _He started with that thought. He somewhat already knew where this was heading, but he enjoyed simply thinking somewhat randomly. _What kind of effects would this difference in species cause? Her outer appearance his pretty much like a human girl, but she needs blood and is over allergic to the sun. Technically she is a girl with a desire for extra blood and an allergy to sunlight. _

_Does that mean she can have kids just like a normal human girl?_

…_what would happen if I have a kid with her?_

Both of his eyebrows sank at those thoughts. He was a regular 16 year old male human teenager, and Anju was indeed a extremely attractive 15 year old. He can't help it but think about those things.

He wondered what it would be like to wrap his arms around Anju from behind and nuzzle his nose in her tresses and absorb her scent. He wondered what it would feel like to touch her lips. He wondered what her waist line would feel like.

There were so many things that he wanted to know.

Then a simple, but difficult question crosses his mind. _Should I confess to her?_

_She doesn't know that I was involved with the vampire hunters to get close to her. She doesn't know why I originally came here. _

His mind was blank for a second. He felt a wave of guilt and remorse overcome him. _I came here to do research for gramps. _

Katsu never expected to get involved so heavily with anybody in this city. He originally just wanted to quickly gather some data and then get back to Fukuoka. He never expected to come across someone that attracted him so deeply. He never expected to meet someone like Anju. He never imagined that someone like Anju could exist, although deep inside he hoped that one day he would meet someone like that. Just the vampire part was left out.

As he thought further about Anju, it became more and more clear to him that he was somewhat obsessed with Anju. He knew it. He could tell. There was something inside him that told him: she is the one. Even he considered it too early at 16, but he just knew it. _She is the one. _

He wanted to confess to her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. But he was worried. Worried about the original purpose that he came for and the fact that all the intimacy and trust he had with Anju was all build with lies; lies that he ingeniously came up with from the top of his head. Barely anything he had told her was true.

_A relationship build with lies. _

In the beginning he only felt the slightest shadow of guilt for lying to Anju. Mostly because she was a very cute and attractive 15 year old. But now, it was different. His feelings have changed. He had changed.

_Maybe I should just tell her everything. Tell her that I need to talk to her and then tell her about everything from the beginning. _

_Everything._

After a moment of consideration, Katsu shook his head. _No need to make rash decisions. Maybe after I get even closer to Anju. Not now. _He hated himself for continuing to think this way. _But it's the only way…damn…_He let out a tired sigh.

He decided to leave things as they are right now and worry about it later. _What does uncle always like to say? Things will turn out just fine._

_Just fine…_

He looked out the window and breathed in the fresh night air. It was an unusually quiet night for a city like Tokyo. He went over to his drawer to check if he had any sleeping pills or anything that might help him fall asleep. When he couldn't find anything, he turned around.

Suddenly Anju appeared, sitting on the window edge "Can't sleep by yourself?" she asked him with a small smile. "You sure don't act as old as you look". Anju felt a sense of de ja vu when she said that.

Katsu's eyes were wide in surprise and his jaw dropped. Anju just scared the living crap out of him. Having a girl suddenly appearing on the window edge isn't good for anybody's heart. He wanted to scream, but couldn't get out a single sound. He simply stared at her with an open jaw for a couple of moments.

"A-A-Anju!" Katsu finally managed to stutter after a few moments of silence. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"You just scared the living crap out of me" he said with a weak smile. It took just about every ounce of willpower not to freak out when Anju just appeared.

"I'm sorry." Anju apologized with her signature stoic tone. Katsu couldn't help but smile when she said that. Despite the stoic tone, there was a certain sense of _care _in her voice. _An apology with no emotion…oh the irony…_

"You have trouble sleeping without mommy?" Anju teased him with no emotion. She had little experience with teasing people, she spend most of her childhood taking care of her older sister. The only person that she might have teased a little was Usui Kenta, but those were most threats. She wasn't the type of person to tease other people, until Katsu came of course.

Katsu gave her a quirky smile. _Ahahahaha…oh look who is talking. _Little did Anju know that the reason Katsu was wide awake was her, and an extra shot of coffee.

"Nah, I just had too much coffee before I went to sleep, that's all." Katsu said with a shrug. _And because I was thinking 'bout you…oh the irony._

Anju hoped of the window edge and enters Katsu's hostel room which was just big enough for one person. She sniffed the air a couple of times and then glanced at Katsu's hand.

"Is your hand alright?" Anju asked and pointed at Katsu's thumb, the thumb which he had cut open to give extra taste to the chocolateless chocolate chip cookies.

Katsu raised both eyebrows and looked at his right hand. He hadn't really paid much attention to it. All the concentration were on the essays.

"Yeah my thumb is alright," Katsu answered after a moment of examining his thumb. "but it might take another two weeks to fully recover."

"Next time I make blood food, I should use a syringe or something. Wouldn't want to cut myself all the time" he added with a laugh after a moment of thought.

Anju smiled gently (something which she didn't do very often) and a comfortable silence settled between them. Katsu sat on his bed and his eyes glanced around the room. He never thought that there was no such thing as a 'comfortable silence', but then again, he never expected to fall for a teenage vampire either. A teenage vampire that has mastered to hide her emotions.

After a few moments of more silence, Katsu decided to break it and asked "Why are you here anyway Anju? Its nearly 2 in the morning". He forgot that vampires are mostly active at night.

Anju gave him a startled look. She wasn't sure how to respond. Although deep inside she knew why she had come to Katsu's place at 2 in the morning, she was quite confused. She knew why she had come to him, but she didn't exactly want to admit it. She came here because she simply wanted to see Katsu, she wanted to find out if she had feelings for him. The moment her bats sat her down on the window edge, her question was answered.

…_Yes_

"I was feeding nearby, so I thought I might come see you since I was in this area." Anju lied while perfectly suppressing her emotions. She was getting quite good at lying, although not good enough to fool Elda and Calera.

Katsu nodded thoughtfully and was secretly glad that Anju _wanted_ to come over and see him. _Score! _He went over to the fridge and took out a small bottle of juice.

"You want some?" he asked her while holding out the bottle out to her. "You know, to wash away that aftertaste of the blood."

Little did Katsu know that vampires actually found the aftertaste of blood quite delicious.

Anju shook her head.

"I can't taste food nor liquid" she reminded him.

Katsu smiled and took a small knife from the fruit plate on his desk. Normally Anju would have instantly summoned a smarm of bats. This time her hands didn't even twitch, the thought was locked away in a far corner of her mind. She trusted Katsu just as much as her family. A human with a knife is a major threat to any vampire. A small knife is just as effective as a stake. Not to mention a lot easier to handle for the killer.

"I could add some taste to it. No problem" Katsu said while holding the small knife against his pointer finger.

Anju drew a sharp breath in surprise when Katsu offered his blood. Never before had a human actually 'offered' her blood. And no matter how much she liked Katsu, it was still a surprise to her.

Anju shook her head.

"I fed already" she replied. Anju then glanced at Katsu's wounded thumb. "And your hand needs to recover" she added.

It was then that a previous thought crossed Katsu's mind again. _Can vampires and humans reproduce? What would the kid turn out like?_

He looked directly at Anju. "Anju, can vampires and humans mate?" he asked, now with a serious tone.

This question caught Anju completely off guard and she blushed controllably from head to toe. It was the first time ever that she blushed in front of anybody. This would be another new feeling that Katsu taught her. Open blushing.

She knew the answer, but wasn't sure if she should tell Katsu or not. Besides, with her being a teenage vampire, and Katsu a teenage human male, this would be really awkward to talk about.

Anju turned away to hide her blush, although it was too late anyway. Not even Anju can hide a full blush away from somebody. Katsu couldn't help but smile and chuckle in amusement as he saw Anju flush. It was one of the few times that he saw Anju's usual stoic attitude break down, even if it was just for a few moments.

When Anju didn't turn around after a few moments, he started to get worried. _Damn, I haven't offended her have I? It was a pretty bold question…_

"Umh Anju…" he started to see if there was any reaction. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that" Katsu apologized.

Anju finally turned around, now calm and composed again.

"No, it's alright Katsu" Anju said and took a deep breath.

"You see," she began. "vampires and humans can reproduce, but their children would be neither human nor vampire. They would have a longer lifespan than humans, be able to walk under the sun but they would still need to suck blood. They also can't have children of their own."

"So it's kind of like donkeys, horses and mules." Katsu commented slightly absent mindedly.

_Bad analogy, _Anju thought. But in fact, it was the perfect analogy.

Katsu started to feel hot, being with Anju made him feel nervous. He knew that his time with her was very limited, and he wanted to confess to her before every opportunity passes by and he will regret it for the rest of his life. _I'd be damned if I don't tell her my feelings. _

He walked past Anju and towards the window. She took a sharp breath, when he so suddenly walked passed her. Katsu's scent was sweet and pleasant. She didn't exactly feel like biting him anymore whenever she smelled his scent, she simply found it sweet and pleasant.

Katsu took a deep breath while watching the city. It was so much quieter at night. So 'peaceful'. So beautiful.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said to no one in particular.

Anju gave him a slightly confused look. "Uhm, what?"

"The night I mean." Katsu replied while gazing out at the city. "It's so peaceful, and the air smells delicious." He took another deep breath.

He turned around to Anju, who was gazing at him tentatively. She quickly averted her look. Little did Katsu know that she was trying to 'define' her feelings for him. Little did Anju know that she loved him, and that Katsu was in a similar situation.

"I know this might sound stupid, but vampires are mostly active at night right?" Katsu asked while looking at Anju. He was trying to avoid eye contact. _No need to get caught hot-eyed gazing and staring. Wouldn't want to get the image of some pervert. _

Anju, somewhat flustered by Katsu's question, simply nodded in response. After a couple of moments of silence, she decided to explain it to Katsu anyway.

"All vampires have a lifespan that surpasses any human's by at least a hundred years." Anju explained. "But some vampires get bored and decide to pass the time by going into a deep sleep."

Normally, Anju wouldn't have talked so openly to anyone. Not even her family. But now, it felt so natural to talk like this to Katsu. Even though she didn't even feel strange or agitated anymore by the fact that she is so open to a human, she was never this open to any vampire either, besides Karin and Ren of course. She really did trust Katsu. She trusted him as much as any vampire in her family.

A deep trust that can backfire and inflict deep wounds.

"So it is kind of like bears hibernating." Katsu commented after a moment of thought. He was getting pretty good at making analogies.

Anju gave him a surprised look. _Good analogy. _It was the first time that somebody ever made an analogy that satisfied her high standards.

Katsu took one last deep breath of the night air, walked back to his bed and sat back down. Without thinking Anju followed and sat down next to him. All she has to do now is to fully realize her feelings.

Anju may be considered a genius and prodigy in the vampire world, but emotionally, she is still very inexperienced with newer feelings such as 'love'. She knew and already accepted that she had somewhat greater feelings for Katsu. Now all she had to do was define 'love'.

Katsu's heart started to beat faster when Anju automatically sat down next to him. He didn't expect her to do something like that. _Could she like me? _After a moment of consideration, he decided to think about that later. _I have to enjoy the moment now. _

Unlike Anju, Katsu knew what his feelings were. This great attraction towards this other person, the nervous sensation whenever she came close and the pleasant warm, ticklish feelings once they actually stayed close for a while. He knew what he felt, and he knew that he was damning himself that way. _But goddamn, I can't control it. Nobody can. _

Anju on the other hand only knew that she felt something for Katsu. A warm, nervous and ticklish feeling. Pleasant and unpleasant at the same time. Deep inside she knew that this was what people called 'love'. But she didn't want to realize that yet, not now. _Not now. _Anju knew that she was simply delaying inevitable pain. But she wanted to keep this feeling for as long as possible. Young teenage love; one of the strongest and provoking emotions there is.

Anju started to feel her fangs grow. She held her hands in front of her mouth to cover them. She couldn't feed in the past few days. A constant stream of admirers were entering the city (to Anju's dismay, all with Calera's permission), battling each other to be the first one to reach Anju. Only to get coldly rejected and insulted by a doll. Yup, male vampires had it tough alright. Now Anju was exposed to Katsu drawing scent.

She had no idea why she actually chose to move so close to Katsu. She wanted to, it felt so natural. It felt so right. Now she was literally stuck next to Katsu, with her fangs growing and unable to move away because her instincts told her to stay there.

Katsu, who himself knew that he had fallen for Anju from balls to soul, glanced at Anju to see her face up-close. He wanted to see what her face looked like just a couple of inches away. Details all the way. It was then that he noticed that Anju was covering her mouth with her hand. Her pupils shrank too. Her melancholic eyes looked different.

Even though this is the first time he had seen this, he knew from countless movies, books, comics and his own first encounter that Anju was thirsty. Thirsty for his blood. He leaned in slightly closer to have a better look at the fangs that she was trying to cover.

Anju who was focusing on controlling her thirst, hasn't noticed any of this. When Katsu leaned closer, her eyes opened wide, Anju gasped and pushed Katsu away from her.

She felt another sense of de ja vu.

Now her fangs were fully exposed. Katsu took a sharp breath in surprise when he saw this. He was surprised that he didn't notice these fangs when Anju bit him for the first time. But now he could seem them.

_So Anju was lying when she said that she had just fed…Does that mean…._

"Anju, are you thirsty?" Katsu asked her while carefully inching closer. He had no idea why he was actually trying to get closer when she had just pushed him away. Maybe he wanted to get bitten. _At least I will be able to fall asleep and have her arms wrapped around me…_

"Are you thirsty?" Katsu asked again and moved forward. "You can bite me if you want". He started to unbutton his pajama. He found her fangs fascinating and intriguing at the same time.

Anju drew a sharp breath and her pupils shrank. Her fangs grew even longer than before. She used her right hands to cover them. She wanted to get away from Katsu, but at the same time she wanted to stay.

"No I can't!" Anju exclaimed. "You will stay conscious and be in pain again."

"No worries." Katsu assured her. "I won't try to fight the sleep and in fact it could help me. That coffee won't let me fall asleep anyway."

Reluctantly Anju moved closer to Katsu and wrapped her arms around his beck. A warm and tingling feeling engulfed both of them.

Katsu gulped.

Anju took a deep breath.

"Thank you." she whispered and sank her fangs into Katsu's neck. She let out a sigh of relief as she gently sucked his blood.

"Your welcome." Katsu managed to mumble before he eyelids sank and he finally fell asleep. Or at least fall unconscious.

--

A couple of blocks away, Elda sat on top of a building, watching the whole scene through a observing bat that she had placed close to the window of Katsu's hostel room.

She watched as Anju sucked Katsu's blood and then carefully putting him back into bed. Elda let out a profound sigh as Anju gazed at Katsu for a couple of moments before leaving.  
Everything was going according to plan. Let Anju's feelings reach the highest point possible and then break her heart by letting her find out that Katsu was a vampire hunter. This way, she will hate humans and possibly find more appeal in vampire males. _Two birds with one stone_

_I'll have to act very soon._

_

* * *

_

For the long wait. But I really had a hell lot of things going on this time. As of writing this (2nd July), there is about 24 more hours before I get to know my final grades...

For some of you who have read the manga, this chapter may seem similar to some of the scenes in the original manga. Actually I thought fof this chapter while reading Karin and when Katsu and Anju's Chapters still haven't crossed my mind yet. So this is actually the earliest chapter I planned for the entire story.

As you can probably tell, starting from the next chapter, there is going to be some major development. Since chapter 18 is going to be so important, it would be awesome if some of you could send me a couple of suggestion on improving this (e.g. how to make Anju more Anju like, make Katsu less Maru Sue like etc...)

Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter Eighteen Anju's Decision

**Chapter 18 – Anju's Decision**

The phone rang, Katsu went to pick answer it. It was the lobby calling him.

"Hello?" Katsu said, half yawning. Anju's venom made him sleep longer than usual. Probably because she sucked more than usual. He felt slightly dizzy.

"This is the reception Mr. Takahashi. You just received a package. We will be sending it to your room shortly" a friendly female voice answered.

"Thanks…" Katsu mumbled, still have asleep and thinking about Anju. He dreamed about her last night. Personally he blames the venom that she injected into him, but then again, he was looking for any sort of excuse.

Ten minutes later, the bell boy knocked in his door and bought in a package. A big package alright.

Katsu thanked the bellboy and looked at the 'package' he received from Jun. _That's not bloody package. That's a damn crate…Jun did not…_

With a bad feeling in his gut, Katsu carefully opened the crate and was both awed and shocked by its contents.

On the very top was a black coat. Almost identical to the one that Jun was wearing whenever he came over before he left for good. On top of the coat was a letter that explained the contents of the crate.

"This is a special coat that my team designed." Katsu read out loud. "It is an improved version of the one I was wearing. I send you one because I thought it would be useful. It can perfectly hide handguns, bullets and a couple of flash grenades. Check out the new hidden back pocket of the jacket."

Katsu took out the jacket and looked at the contents underneath it. For a while he simply stared the things until he decided to let out a deep sigh. In there were seven flash grenades, two handguns and around fifty bullets. _A vampire hunter's starter package I suppose…_

He continued to stare at the stuff, wondering what to do with it. It was then that a very important thought crossed his mind. _Wait, where the hell am I going to hide this stuff? The cleaning staff will most likely find it. _

Little did Katsu know what he wouldn't need to hide these firearms for very long. In fact, he wouldn't need to hide them at all.

He let out a sigh and decided to try the coat on. It went all the way down to his knees, it was completely black and somewhat resembled the coat of a certain cat. Katsu looked at himself in the mirror and was surprised to find out how good it looked. _Damn, this looks good. Problem is that Anju saw this coat before when she got attacked by Jun's henchmen. No showing off for me with this coat. _

He then remembered that Jun wrote that this coat was designed to hide weapons. He took the two handguns and put them in the inner pockets on both sides. Ammo refills right below them and two extra large pockets that can fit three grenades each. One was left. Katsu turned around a couple of times to find the pocket that he was supposed to put in the last grenade into. It was in the very back of the coat. Almost to the place where his spine was.

He placed the grenade in the last pocket and looked at himself in the mirror. He was amazed at the result.

There weren't any bulges or any other signs that something was inside the coat. It certainly did gain a lot of weight though. _Damn I look good in this thing. _

He took Jun's letter again and decided to read the second page.

_The hidden pocket in the back is for emergencies only. It will be hard to find even if someone searches you for weapons. Use it as a last resort. Try not to lie down with a flash grenade in that pocket though…_

Katsu opened the window and stuck his head out. It was a cool day; the wind was stronger than usual. Like a wind before the storm. Katsu decided to test-walk the coat while it was still cool enough to wear it outside. _I wonder if this can really hide weapons from plain view._ And he stepped outside to refill on salty snacks. Naturally he didn't think of the consequences if he was caught hiding guns, bullets and grenades inside his coat.

Katsu took the longer route to the shop, a strong breeze was the only thing he enjoyed more than fresh night air. He would be able to think deeper and clearer than usual with the wind blowing. It also calmed him down whenever he felt anxious or nervous.

He saw quite a few couples on his way. Naturally and painfully, he thought of Anju. Katsu looked at the couples walk hand in hand. Laughing, smiling, in love. He felt a unfamiliar emptiness in his chest. _Anju…_

He let out a profound sigh. _She's just beautiful…_

_***A Fact About Guys***_

_If a guy uses words like 'beautiful' or 'gorgeous' to describe a girl, then he likes her a whole hell lot._

He thought of Anju and the times that they spend together. Katsu then looked at his coat, now a reminder of why he originally came all the way to Tokyo. Now a reminder of how almost everything he told Anju was a lie. _A lie. _

He stopped walking and stared at the ground. He hadn't felt this melancholic since his first meeting with Ayaka. _I lied to her about everything. I harmed a human that she cared about. I helped hurt her. _

_I hurt her…_

_I came to get DNA samples of her. An experiment. _

_I hurt, tricked and lied to her. _

That last thought struck. Nearly all the bad things a guy could do to a girl besides cheating he had done. And yet Anju was still so friendly with him. He felt guilty alright. Dead guilty. _God damn it. God DAMN IT. _

_Maybe I should just tell her everything. _

Katsu was at his edge. His love for Anju was generating a stronger feeling of guilt with every passing minute. He wanted to tell Anju that he loved her. He wanted to tell her all the lies he had told her. He wanted to confess the truth to her. He loved her.

Without buying any snacks, he walked back to the hostel room. Katsu sat on his bed, staring at 'Anju' on his contact list. His thumb was on the dial button, but he didn't press it. He closed his eyes and pressed 'Dial'. Almost instantly he cancelled. It didn't even have time to connect. The same scene has happened a lot recently. Katsu just couldn't bring himself to dial Anju's number and confess…everything.

He felt pathetic. Pathetic for lying to her, hurting her and not having the guts to confess.

With a depressed sigh, Katsu took off his coat and walked outside to refill on snacks. He didn't bother looking at the clock. It was night and he needed some air.

It was one in the morning. Vampire time.

--

_Midnight, the Maaka mansion_

Anju was sitting in her room. She had been debating with herself since dusk. She now fully realized what her feelings for Katsu were. Even though she never had romantic feelings towards anybody who is male, she knew that Katsu was the one. The love of her life. If though he was the first, Anju knew that he was the one. She had nothing to compare her feelings to, she simply knew.

Anju had spent most of the morning (meaning from 6pm onwards) debating with herself, trying to decide whether or not to confess to Katsu. She knew that their life spans were very different; hence they didn't have much time together.

Right now, she felt as if her feelings were going to burst out of her heart. Since she read Shakespeare, Anju always thought that Juliet was incredibly dumb for killing herself so swiftly, without even having second thoughts.

Now, she still thought that Juliet acted too rash, but she understood Juliet a little better now.

She now clearly knew that she wanted to be together with him. She wanted to confess to him, she wanted to pour out her feelings to him. _Bad that's a bad thing to do._

If the vampire world found out that she had fallen for a human teenager, there would be no doubt that Katsu wouldn't be able to run fast enough to save his life. _I don't want Katsu's life to in danger just because I want to be with him. _Little did Anju know that Katsu had a bargaining chip if that ever happened.

She let out a depressed sigh and walked to the mirror. She looked at herself closely. _Am I an option to Katsu even if I am a vampire?_

_The difference in species would be a problem. _Then a common thought struck her. _Will he say yes?_

Anju looked out the window and at the moon. The trees covered most of it but the light was still very strong tonight. Anju thought back to the time where she followed Karin to the zoo, and Usui-kun ran with her to the ferries wheel, where he then confessed to her.

She then remembered how she fainted chasing after them and then waking up next to Koibuchi on the bench.

_And then he confessed to me. _

The confession didn't exactly surprise her. She knew that Koibuchi liked her very much the day he met her. That is why his memory was harder to process than usual. What did surprise her though was how she wished the same thing would happen to her again, now, with Katsu.

Now Anju felt a perplexing anxiety to be with Katsu. To tell him her feelings. To love him with no boundaries.

Surprisingly, Anju didn't care very much for the objections that her family would most likely raise if she declared that she had fallen in love with a human. She trusted them not to attack or kill Katsu, but they would certainly complain and try to convince her otherwise. Anju loved him, and that's all that counts.

As Anju started enter her teenage years as a vampire, she noticed that the human girls of her age started to rapidly become prettier too. Their curves started to develop, their chest grew bigger, their faced looked prettier and they wore more makeup.

Now Anju wasn't only worried about the difference in species, but also if she would be able to 'compete' with the other human girls. _I can't walk with Katsu under the daylight, and the other human girls are prettier than me._

_They are normal humans that can be with him under the sun. I love him…but…does he…can he…_

Boogie-kun, who had been listening to the same thoughts circling in Anju's head since dusk, let out a frustrated sigh. Finally he spoke up.

"Anju…" he began slowly, composing his words carefully. "You should stop thinking and just do what you think you should do. What you _feel _you should do.

He gave Anju a serious look. "Look girlie, who gives a damn about the difference in species or difference in life spans or even the possibility that he likes another random human girl. You love him and that's all that matters. Even if you confess and get rejected, at least you have told him your feelings and can live on with no regrets. Tell Katsu how you feel about him Anju, and trust me, you won't regret it."

Anju simply stared at Boogie-kun for a couple of minutes, processing the small lecture he had just given her. She glanced around the room, deep in thought. Finally she let out a sigh. Anju had reached a decision.

"You're right Boogie-kun" she finally said with a small smile.

Without another word, she opened the door to her room and started to head down. Anju had made up her mind. She was going to confess to him. Tonight. Now. She didn't care anymore about the difference in species or all the possible consequences if she confesses her love to Katsu.

"Hello." Anju greeted Henry, Calera and Elda with her signature stoic tone as she walked down the stairs.

"Hello Anju!" Elda answered jovially while Henry and Calera were pretending to read an ancient book that was written in a language that they couldn't read.

Anju rushed out of the door, headed towards Katsu's. Almost anxious, now that she had made up her mind.

All three Maaka's let out a sigh when Anju left.

"Did you sense it?" Calera asked. Henry and Elda nodded in response.

"Anju's aura felt different from before." Elda said thoughtfully. "It was less…confused. As if she had made a decision and is now determined to get it done."

"This is bad." Calera and Elda said at the same time.

"What is Anju going to do?" Henry asked quickly, now panicking when he saw the usual calm ladies becoming nervous.

"There is one person who knows." Calera said with a devilish smile. "Or rather a puppet"

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, slow as ever.

"Anju didn't take Boogie-kun with her." Elda said with a sigh.

All three Maaka's rushed to Anju's room to find Boogie-kun on his little plastic chair.

Without any formalities, Elda went straight up to Boogie-kun and picked him off the chair. Since Karin left, Elda had gotten plenty of experience with Boogie's signature insults.

"What is Anju going to do?" she demanded from Boogie-kun.

"Why should I tell you?" Boogie-kun said with a fiendish grin. "Old hag."

Elda's eyes went wide with anger. She hated it when somebody called her old. Even though that was true, she didn't want to admit it.

She ripped out one of Boogie-kun's button eyes and threw him against the wall. The serial killer cried out in pain.

"Will you now tell me?" Elda said with a devilish grin while stepping on his stomach.

"She…went to Katsu…" Boogie-kun said, now in whatever pain his body could feel.

"TO DO WHAT?" Elda shouted. Her temper was short. Anju's rapid aura change had her alarmed.

"To confess…" Boogie-kun said with a sigh of defeat.

Before he could finish sighing, Elda was out of the window and heading towards Katsu's hostel room.

_The timing couldn't be better. I have to get there before Anju does._

_

* * *

_

I suppose its impossible not to mention to death of Michael Jackson. Its kind of funny that people don't actually fully appreciate a person until that person is dead. When I heard in the morning that he was dead...I thought it was a bad joke. As soon as I got to school, I checked Yaho and BANG there it was. My entire school was talking about this for most of the day. If you listen to his music, you just have to admit that he was a true genius. "Heal the world" will always be on my favorite songs list. May he rest in peace.

As probably some of you noticed, I decided to try those little 'insert notes' that Death had in The Book Thief. Those little side notes made by Death really made the book unique and special to me. On the 17th, I'm moving to Beijing. So if the chapters stop flowing, it will mean that I'm still writing, but I can't get the internet set up in my new home.

Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter Nineteen Truths and Confessions

**Chapter 19 – Truths and Confessions**

Elda was running to the other side of Tokyo, at top speed and heading towards Katsu's hostel room. It only took her minutes to make up for the little head start that Anju had and Boogie-kun didn't exactly buy her a lot of time.

She raced across the city, jumping one from one building to the other, not caring anymore if humans see her from the ground. She had bigger things to worry about. The decisive aura that Anju had, had her alarmed. _Anju made a choice, and thank god that no-good doll talked fast. _

_I have to get there before Anju does. _And Elda continued to run.

Twenty minutes before Anju, Elda arrived at Katsu's small room. To her own surprise, Katsu wasn't in his room. He was out buying snacks. Luckily for her, Katsu loved fresh air and hence almost always leaved the window open. She climbed into Katsu's room. To her own surprise, it was quite neat for a guys room.

Over the years, Elda had broken into numerous homes to get the exact blood that she wanted. And whenever she broke into a guy's room, it was messy.

She glanced around the room and sniffed the air. _I see why Anju is going crazy about him._ Her eyes then fell on Katsu's bed. Or to be more exact, the black coat that was on the bed. _That's something new...._

Elda walked over to the bed and picked up the coat. It was surprisingly heavy. She turned the coat upside down and shook it. Six grenades, two handguns and bullets fell out. For a moment Elda simply stared at the things that fell out the coat, then she smirked. _One more reason to get rid of our little Katsu. _

She dumped the coat, guns and bullets on Katsu's bed. Wide open for anybody to see who entered the room. She then walked over to Katsu's drawer and was glad that Katsu was an exceptionally organized person. The certificate, badge and booklet printout were all perfectly in place. She took out all of the three things and neatly placed them on Katsu's desk.

Now whoever entered the room would automatically see the things on Katsu's desk too. For once, having such a small room was convenient in some way. Elda opened up the booklet and turned it to a particularly nasty chapter: _Chapter XII How to kill a vampire (emergency use only)_.

Elda could have just told Anju about the discovery she had made or steal Katsu's things and then show it to Anju. No, she wanted to do something that would hit all the way to home base. _It will hurt more if Anju discovers Katsu's true identity herself. It will hurt even more if she had accepted her love for him… I'm sorry Anju._

…_and I hate to be the bearer of bad news_

She laid it out on the desk and turned around to look at the work she had done. To her own surprise, she didn't feel pleasure or satisfaction of any kind. No. Instead, she felt bad about what she was doing. She was about to hurt her only remaining granddaughter very deeply. She was going to hurt Anju on a spot that will inflict some very deep scars, scars that may never heal. She was about to destroy Anju's first love. Anju's greatest love.

Elda bit her lower lip and let out a profound sigh. _I'm sorry Anju. But I have to do this. Relationships with humans always end in sorrow. I will not let this happen to you. _

Elda quickly turned around before she was going to have second thoughts and sprinted away from the 'crime scene'. She left an observation bat close to the window and positioned herself a couple of blocks away from the hostel.

The stage was set. Now all Elda had to do was wait for Anju to arrive and Katsu to come back. If Katsu came back before Anju came, she was going to knock him out with her observation bat. _I'm sorry Anju. I really am. _

--

Anju was on her way to Katsu room. She felt nervous alright. Very nervous. Now that she made up her mind about telling Katsu her feelings, she didn't know how to tell him. _I love you Katsu…no, Katsu, I love you with all my heart…no, that's too embarrassing. _

The same thoughts circulated in her head over and over again. In her heart Anju was quite glad about the decision she had just made. She couldn't help but think of _Romeo and Juliet _besides composing her words. _A 'wrong' love…Two people that love each other, but have to stay separate. _

Then the inevitable thought crosses her mind again. _Does he love me?_

After a thousand more-or-less-the-same thoughts, Anju finally arrived at Katsu's small hostel room. Fortunate for her, the window was open, but all the lights were out. _Maybe Katsu is sleeping. I shouldn't wake him and come back tomorrow night…_

…_No_

Anju entered the room, and to her surprise, it was empty. Katsu was out buying snacks. Little did he know that hell would await him when he comes back. _Maybe I should come back later…_

Now that Anju was in his room, a whole new wave of feelings overwhelmed her. Her legs felt soft, her heart was pounding hard, her breathing felt heavier. Anju decided to sit down. This was the first time she felt her legs go soft for no reason at all. _What is wrong with me? _Anju already knew the answer.

She bit her lower lip and took a deep breath. _How should I say it. I love you Katsu…no. Katsu for a long time now I've…no_

Anju felt herself becoming more nervous with every passing second, because with every passing second, Katsu would be closer to coming back to his room. It wasn't until Anju glanced around the room to find something else to think about that she noticed that there were a lot more things than usual in Katsu's room.

Usually the only thing on his desk would be his laptop and his bed would either be messy or neatly done by the cleaning staff. No, not this time.

Anju glanced next to her and discovered a black coat. A black coat that was awfully similar to the coat that Jun wore during their first 'meeting'. On top of the coat were flash grenades, two pistols and bullets. For a second, Anju's mind wouldn't accept what she was seeing and told Anju to blink and rub her eyes, which she did before the signals reached.

For a couple of moments, Anju was simply confused by what she was seeing. Her mind wouldn't comprehend the images her eyes were seeing. _Guns? Vampire hunter black coat? Grenades? _

When her mental blockage lifted and her mind accepted the images her eyes were seeing, Anju's heart sank. Her eyes were wide with shock. Gone is the anxiety and nervousness she felt a few minutes ago, now it was replaced with fear, sadness and shock.

Anju picked up the coat and smelled it. It clearly had Katsu's scent on it. _No. No. Katsu can't be…_

She threw the coat on the bed and walked over Katsu's desk to see what the three extra things were. Her breathing became harder as she came closer to the desk. She didn't want she just saw. She was somewhat hoping that whatever she found on the desk, it would explain everything. But she already knew. _Katsu is a vampire hunter._

Anju walked to Katsu's desk and first picked up the single sheet of paper that was on his laptop: the certificate.

'First human to get bitten by a vampire and kept his memory: Katsu Takahashi' it read.

Anju's face lost all emotion.

Next she took the leather badge. Anju had enough. She already knew who Katsu truly was. She understood everything now. But somewhere in her heart she still clung to whatever hope she had left. The little spark of hope that kept her going instead of breaking down.

Anju looked closely at the badge and at Katsu's picture on it. _Vampire Hunter Class B. _Anju was shacking now, with both anger and sorrow. Uncontrollably, tears rolled down her cheek.

Anju's hand let go of the badge and it dropped to the ground. Anju bit her lower lip, took a sharp breath and looked at the page that opened from the booklet. Nothing would have prepared her for that.

_Chapter XII How to kill a vampire. _Anju read in a whisper. She never reached the 'emergency use only' part. Not that it would have helped.

Anju's mind became blank and she sank to her knees. Only one thought was in her mind _No…No…No…No…_

Anju's state of a blank mind due to shock didn't stay very long. Soon a wave of mixed emotions engulfed her. The carefree Katsu that she always knew had become a ghost, a distant apparition. It felt as if the intimacy she had built with Katsu was all fake, a hoax, a lie. _A lie. _

Anju started to shake again. Tears fell to the ground like snow during the winter. It all made more sense to her now. All the meetings she had with Katsu did feel somewhat set up. But Anju was blinded by her feelings. Or by Katsu's scent to be more exact. _ALL of it was set up, only s that Katsu could get closer to me and then…_

Anju felt an incredible weight in her chest.

She didn't want to believe what she just saw, she loved Katsu, She felt confused, yet it was all too clear to her. _Katsu is a vampire hunter. _All the proof she needed what on the bed and his desk.

Even though it was painfully obvious who Katsu truly was, somewhere in her heart, Anju still hoped that everything that happened was real. She still clung to hope. Anju started shaking uncontrollably again.

A couple of blocks away, Elda bit down on her lower lip and closed her eyes. _I'm sorry Anju. _

She took a sharp breath in surprise as she heard someone slide the keycard into the doors lock. Her eyes were locked onto the door that was slowly opening.

Katsu opened the door and gasped in surprise when he saw Anju on her knees. Anju slowly turned her head to Katsu and his eyes went wide with surprisd. Anju's eyes were red from crying, her usually so calm face looked sad, disappointed and anguished.

"Anju, what ha-" Katsu started to say when he saw the weapons and coat on his bed. He then noticed the leather badge next to Anju and his booklet in her hands. Katsu's heart sank. Katsu's mind went blank for a second, trying to comprehend what Katsu was seeing.

Anju suddenly stood up and threw the badge at Katsu. The hard leather hit him hard on his nose. Without thinking, Anju threw the booklet next and the pages scattered across the room.

Anju was still crying. Cheeks continued to roll down her cheek.

"Why?" Anju shouted at Katsu. "WHY?"

Anju didn't even know why she was still asking him questions. Why would Katsu want to hunt her down? As a research object or to simply kill. Anju didn't even summon bats to kill or knock Katsu out. She still loved him, and she continued to cling to whatever hope there was left. Hope for an explanation, even though she already knew that there was none.

"WHY?" Anju demanded again.

She looked Katsu directly in the eye. "Everything you have told me was a lie?"

Katsu closed his eyes and bit his lower lip, he looked at the ground. He couldn't even say anything back to Anju. Because what she said was true. Everything indeed was a lie. That is the truth.

Katsu didn't even have anything to say back to Anju, because everything in his room was the truth. He came to Tokyo to either capture Anju or get research material. Even though he wasn't a full vampire hunter, his grandfather was once, his deceased father was and he corporate with vampire hunters to get closer to Anju.

Anju's eyes grew wide with anguish, she was desperate.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU KIDNAP ME WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE? WHY DIDN'T YOU DISECT ME WHEN YOU COULD DO IT? WHY DID YOU SAVE ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?"

Anju sobbed uncontrollably.

Seeing Anju cry made Katsu's ache. He had made a girl cry. Not that he had a gentleman code, but making a girl cry still hurt him. _God DAMN IT. I'm a fucking idiot!_

"WHY?!" Anju demanded again. She didn't even know why she kept asking that. Katsu was with the vampire hunter and that's all that counts.

Katsu shook his head, his head felt hot and heavy. The air felt hot, he couldn't think straight. It felt like everything in his head was jammed. He needed air. He needed to say something. _Why Katsu? C'mon, why didn't I capture her when I had the chance? Why? Because…I…_

Anju was desperate. "WHY?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU"

Time stood still.

* * *

Sorry that I had to use the 'f-word' (lol), but I felt it was needed since Katsu was a teenager and under extreme emotional pressure. If anybody finds it offensive, e-mail me and I will remove it ASAP.

Yup and this is chapter 19. I've been looking foward to writing this chapter since I started _Anju's Chapter_ all the way back in Feburary. I hope I didn't screw it up though.

For those who wanted to see Ren, Bridget and their kid, they will be making an appearance very soon!

Anybody else watched Michael Jackson's memorial service? In China, it started at midnight sharp. Watched it on CNN (you just gotta love Live), and managed to stay awake until 3am. I watched the rest with the reruns in the morning. The last part with Paris speaking about her dad was really touching. I felt a lump in my throat.

_Your dad wasn't strange. The things he had to deal with were strange. _That line was simply...awesome. Thats all I can say: awesome.

MJ, rest in peace.

Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter Twenty Elda's Plan

**Chapter 20 – Elda's Plan**

Both of them were completely silent. Minutes passed with neither saying a single word. Neither didn't know what to say.

For just a single moment after Katsu's confession, Anju delirious. She didn't feel sad, mad or confused anymore. If was as if Katsu's words had cancelled out all those emotions and now her heart didn't how to feel. Anju didn't feel anything after that single moment of joy. She wasn't sure what to feel anymore. Her emotions were a blank.

In almost a daze, she began walking towards Katsu. Breathing slowly, she started closing the distance between them. Her mind was a blank. Anju didn't know what to think or what to feel. She had no idea what she would do after she moved closer to him. Nevertheless she decided to walk closer to him anyway.

Anju literally felt nothing. She barely sensed anything around her anymore. She had her eyes fixed on Katsu, whose face showed neither fear nor any other emotion. As she walked towards him, she felt as if she was almost floating in the air, free of all the laws of this world.

Katsu on the other hand, wasn't quite as slow as Anju. It took a moment for Katsu to actually understand what he had just said. What he had just blurted out in the heat of the situation. _I just told Anju I love her…That feel good, but…_

_Oh man…_He had no choice now but to go with the flow. The thought of picking up a gun or grenade never crossed his mind. _I wonder what she is going to do. _

After a couple of silent moments, Anju finally got to Katsu. She didn't look up to him, nor did she say anything. Breathing slowly, she looked at the ground, her shoes, Katsu's shoes. She felt no anger, no joy, no nothing. The same similar thoughts kept circulating in her head.

_Katsu loves me. But Katsu is a vampire hunter. He tried to kill me. Did he try to kill me? He loves me. He tried to kill me. He loves me…He worked with the vampire hunters…He loves me…Katsu loves me._

On a building, a couple of blocks away, Elda started to feel nervous. She stood up, ready to act. _Anju what are you doing?_

"Katsu…" Anju began. She had no idea what she going to say to him. His name just came out of her mouth without her wanting to say it.

"Katsu…" she said again quietly. _I love you. No…why. Vampire hunter…no…Do I still…_

…_yes_

Katsu's breathing became harder. He couldn't tell what Anju was going to do. She showed no emotion at all. He glanced over to his bed and the weapons that were on top of it. _Whatever comes my way, I'll take it head-on. I probably deserve it too. _

Anju took a deep breath to regain control of herself. She felt herself engulfed by both joy and disappointment. It was quite a strange mix of emotion to feel.

Anju took a step back and took another deep breath. She felt her head clear up. She had to calm herself down. She had a feeling of what she is going to do, but yet at the same time she didn't quite understand those feelings.

"Katsu…" she said for the third time and smiled gently. A tear rolled down her cheek. She did not summon nearby bats nor did she notice Elda's observation bat that was fairly close to the window. With a small smile, Anju raised her head and looked Katsu directly into the eye.

Katsu's heart started to beat faster. This time, it was his mind that was blank. He was mentally prepared for anything. He just hoped that it wouldn't be too painful. _Or brain damaging. _

Elda's eyes went wide in alarm. She clenched her fist and teeth. Yes, for the first time in a long time, Elda felt the emotion called 'panic'. _Why aren't you summoning any bats to knock him out? Anju!_

Faster than any vampire before her, she raced from rooftop to rooftop, and in a matter of seconds she stormed through Katsu's little room window. Like a wall, she quickly interposed herself between Katsu and Anju.

"ANJU!" Elda shouted, her eyes wide with anger.

"G-Grandmother!" Anju stammered in surprise. This one of the few times where Anju actually got surprised. Usually, Anju had to all planned out. Calm and prepared for any situation. Not this time.

"What do you think you're doing?" Elda shouted at her. She summoned the observation bat and quickly got it in her hands. Before Anju could answer, Elda waved her hand towards her, send the bat flying to her face and knocked her out cold. Anju's powers were no match for Elda's hardened willpower. Elda looked at her granddaughter ruefully and let out a profound sigh. _I'm sorry Anju. _

Elda then turned around and gave Katsu a menacing glare. A small smile formed around the corner of her lips. _Finally…_

Katsu simply stared at Elda while she glared at him. He had a hard time believing what he just saw happening. In his eyes, the girl he saved to get closer to Anju just knocked Anju out with a bat. And she didn't seem to like him either. Katsu gulped.

"A-aren't you that woman I saved about two weeks earlier?" Katsu managed to stammer.

"No, far from it." Elda said with a menacing smile.

She spun and gave Katsu a side kick into the stomach. Katsu never expected that. The blow knocked all the air out of him. Not that it would have helped if he expected Elda to attack. She was too fast for any human.

Katsu was in the air for about a second and then hit the wall. Hard. He curled up like a ball, held his stomach and whimpered in pain. Elda's kick was far stronger than any elbow he received when the basketball game started to become intense.

_She's strong…damn…_

With an evil little smile, Elda walked towards the whimpering Katsu. She raised her right leg and put it on Katsu head. She gentle started to apply pressure to scare him.

Katsu's eyes went wide in panic. "Are you going to kill me?" he managed to gasp while still feeling the pain of the strongest vampire's kick.

Elda's smile grew wider. She knelled down, grabbed Katsu by the collar and raised him up. She felt like punching him. It was the ideal position with Katsu hanging there like a punching bag. _I need him alive._

"No," Elda answered with malice. "You don't deserve such a quick death…"

Katsu glanced down on Elda and gave her a almost questioning look. _Wait…she doesn't mean. _

"A thousand other vampires will rip you apart" Elda finished with a smile.

Katsu gathered whatever liquid there was in his mouth and spat into Elda's face. He always wanted to try that at least once.

Elda's almost joy filled, menacing eyes turned cold. She gave Katsu a cold, menacing glare. Katsu regretted spitting into her face. Elda threw him against in the wall and watched him fall back to the ground.

Even though Katsu didn't show it, he was glad that she announced that she wasn't going to kill him now. _If a thousand vampires will kill me, then there is a chance for me to escape. A thousand vampires will take time to gather. A thousand vampires will argue. With a thousand there will be a better chance of survival than one. _

Katsu gulped while lying on the ground. He considered pleading for his life, but decided against it. _I ain't in some movie, but if I'm gonna die, I wanna die with dignity. _

"Good bye" Elda said with no emotion and knocked Katsu out with a bat.

To Katsu's own surprise, it didn't hurt at all. All he saw was the black bat covering his eyes and then everything going black. When he saw Anju getting knocked out, he expected to be painful. _See you in another life, _Katsu thought to no one in particular.

Elda let go of the unconscious Katsu and watched him drop to the ground. She let out a tired sigh. Deep inside, she didn't want to do this. She wanted to leave things alone. But the species' survival was more important. _I'm sorry Anju. I really am._

_Time to get to work. _

Elda glanced around the room. _How convenient, Anju has spread the paper everywhere, bed sheets are white and walls are white. _

She knelled down and took Katsu into her arms. She sniffed Katsu's neck and her fangs started to grow. _I see why Anju fell for him. His blood really is tempting. _Without much delicacy, Elda quickly sank her fangs into Katsu's neck and began to suck his blood. She was careful not to swallow any of it.

She quickly took a paper cup from the small water dispenser in Katsu's room and 'unloaded' Katsu's blood in there. Carefully, she spread the blood across the floor, making sure that more blood would end up on the papers that were spread across the floor. _Can't do any harm to make it more dramatic while I'm at it._

She then carefully sucked a little more blood and spread it across the walls and bed sheets. She was tempted to drink some. The scent of Katsu's blood was quite enticing.

She lifted Katsu onto her right shoulder, walked towards the window and turned around to look at her work. Katsu's room looked like a murder scene now. With a tired sigh, Elda gave her granddaughter a rueful glance and left.

--

Elda sprinted across the city. She wanted to get a few things done before Anju woke up. She would be out for 20 minutes at most. Elda could have made her sleep longer, but she decided not to. No matter how much they disliked each other, she is still her granddaughter.

Carrying Katsu on her shoulder, Elda walked through the front door and straight into the living room. She knew Henry and Calera would demanded an explanation.

When Henry and Calera saw Elda walking in with an unconscious Katsu, they instantly stood up in alarm. They knew somewhat had happened.

"Mother, what happened?" Henry asked when he saw Katsu on Elda's shoulder. He did not exactly want to have a vampire hunter in his house, much less a one that managed to get closer and personal to his youngest daughter.

"Where is Anju?" Calera demanded. She couldn't care less about Katsu; she was more worried about where her daughter has gone to.

"Calm down both of you." Elda said with a tired sigh. She motioned for Henry to bring her a glass of blood.

When Henry came back and Elda refreshed herself, Calera and Henry both looked at Elda, awaiting for her explanation.

"Things have gone exactly according to plan," Elda began to explain. "and this is the end result." She looked at Katsu, whom she put down on the carpet. She didn't want his smell all over her favorite armchair.

"What do you mean by plan?" Calera asked suspiciously. "And what happened to Anju?"

Ignoring Calera, Elda continued. "Both of you know that little Katsu here is a young vampire hunter and has done a darn good job at seducing Anju. Anju feel for him and was ready to go on a relationship with a vampire hunter, who with no doubt was preparing to kill her."

Elda smiled, she was enjoying it. Calera and Henry were both looking at her. She was in the spot light. She was revealing her plan, her time to shine.

"Of course I couldn't allow that to happened, so I decided to use Anju's feelings against her." Elda continued to explain. "I wanted to wait for her feelings to reach their greatest height and then reveal that her beloved Katsu is a vampire hunter. That way, she will despise humans for the rest of her life and she won't ever let herself become this lose to a human."

Henry shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He did not agree with his mother on her viewpoint of humans. Much like his father James, he was quite fond of humans.

"Don't you think that's a bit hard mother?" Henry said with a concerned tone. "I mean Anju would be hurt quite badly."

"What's done is done Henry!" Elda retorted. "I've revealed to Anju now that Katsu is a vampire hunter and…"

Elda stopped. _I shouldn't have said that. It wouldn't be too good to reveal that she was about to accept him, or at least that she didn't summon any bats. _

"And what?" Calera asked suspiciously. She never liked her mother-in-law. She had already made countless attempts at getting rid of her. Much to her dismay, despite Elda's age, she is the toughest vampire around. She doesn't go down that easily.

Elda gave Calera an annoyed glare. "Katsu told Anju that he loved her." she finally said after having a glaring battle with her daughter-in-law.

"Oh my…" Calera said and glanced at Katsu, who was still out cold and lying on the carpet.

"He did what!" Henry cried and glared at the harmless Katsu. His eyes were lit with fire. He was quickly calmed down by two blows from the two ladies.

"What happened then?" Calera asked, now extremely interested in the story.

"It seemed that Anju didn't know what to do and began to accept Katsu…" Elda said slightly absent mindedly.

"She did not summon bats" she added.

"Then what did you do to her?" Calera asked, her eyes narrowing.

"The only thing I could do," Elda said, almost proud of herself. "I knocked both of them unconscious with my bats."

Calera's eyes went wide with fury and she was ready to kill Elda.

"You did what!" Calera shouted and attempted to summon her bats. Unfortunately for her, Elda had them under her control. No vampire was a match for Elda's willpower.

"We don't have time for this!" Elda said with an angry tone. "I spread Katsu's blood all over his room and when Anju wakes up…"

"She will think that he is dead…" Henry finished.

"Or that I killed him to more precise" Elda said.

"Why go through all that trouble?" Calera asked, now forced to calm down.

"If Anju thinks he is dead, then she will let go and search for someone new." Elda replied. _Or at least I hope that she will let go. _

"Why didn't you just kill him for real?" Calera asked, it bugged her out Elda never wanted to tell them the whole story.

"Wouldn't it be much more fun to put him on trial with a jury of vampire?" Elda said with almost a smirk.

Vampires haven't had the chance to persecute a vampire hunter in centuries. They weren't going to go easy on Katsu.

--

On the other side of city, in Katsu's small hostel room, Anju slowly began to wake up.

* * *

I finished this chapter on quite a tight deadline. I wanted to get this done before this week was over and damn I actually got it done. Actually I wanted to get this done on Friday, but I just had so much on my mind that I couldn't write anything. I've just been feeling really tired recently. I will try to keep up this pace of releases for as long as I can.

I've just noticed, but it seems that most Karin fanfics are finished. The trilogy is finished and Drake's Karin Days is finished too. Finishing a story...Actually all the way back in Feburary when I started Anju's Chapters, I had a clear ending in my head. But now, seeing how the story has developed, the original ending would still work, but it just wouldn't feel right. Or at least it doesn't feel right for me. And no, Anju's memory isn't going to get erased (lol). So, I will be using some time to rework the ending for this (its still all in my head, only got about 2/3 of the story actually written down as a plot summary)

Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter Twenty One Endless Tears

**Chapter 21 – Endless Tears**

"Persecute him!" Henry and Calera exclaimed at the same time. Both of them were surprised (and somewhat shocked) by that idea. They have heard of vampire hunters persecuting vampires in medieval Europe, but now in the present that was unheard of, much less the other way around.

Elda nodded and a smiled. Since Karin had her memory erased, her grudge against human hasn't gone away. The fact that Katsu had a vampire hunter badge didn't help either.

"But mother, the next vampire meeting isn't until this winter. That's more than six months away" Henry argued.

"There is no way we can keep Katsu alive that long without Anju knowing." Calera added.

Elda shook her head. "No, no Henry. We are going to _call _every vampire in Japan and then gather them at the Elder's House. Now."

"That's impossible." Calera said. "It's almost summer. Daytime gets longer and the sun is out more. It is impossible for vampires to travel long distance during this time of the year. We will be lucky if even half of them actually make it."

"Oh trust me, mention to them that a vampire hunter tried to seduce Anju, we have captured the vampire hunter and that we are going to persecute them." Elda said with a chuckle.

"They would even cross the Sahara for this event." Elda added.

Calera saw Elda's point. _They would go crazy…especially the younger male vampires who still need to find a mate. _

"Call every vampire you know Henry." Elda said. That wasn't a request, it was an order.

With a heavy sigh, Henry pulled out a long contact list and walked over to the phone. Yes, just like his father, Henry liked humans very much. He even had the heart to spare some pity for Katsu.

Calera went over to Henry, who was starting to dial the numbers for the first contact on the list.

"Call Ren and tell him to get over here before sunrise." she said to Henry. "Anju is going to need him."

With a grave nod, Henry canceled the first number and dialed Ren's cell phone number. He had no idea how much Anju would need him.

Elda lifted up the unconscious Katsu and opened the door. "I'm going to go outside and hide him before Anju comes back. Can't have his fresh scent all over the place" she said with almost a sigh. Even though Elda didn't show it, she too was afraid of how Anju will react when she is going to lie to her that she killed Katsu. After all, she too was once a teen with raging hormones. Yes, under the entire grudge she held for humans, even Elda wasn't too sure about what she was doing.

Elda took Katsu outside and carefully hid him behind a couple of bushes. She made sure to cover him with a couple of leaves before leaving him. _Can't have Anju accidentally stumbling across our little hunter. _

--

On the other side of the city, in Katsu's small hostel room, Anju slowly started to open her eyes. In a daze, she sat up and looked around in the room; she did not register the images that she was seeing. _What just happened?_

She glanced around the room and saw blood everywhere; on the walls, floor, bed sheets. It was then that her mind finally clicked and understood what happened.

Instantly, Anju sat up and sniffed the air, it was saturated with the scent of blood. Katsu's blood. _No, this can't be…Katsu's blood?_

Anju sniffed again and her heart sank. There was no doubt about it, it was Katsu's blood through and through. Anju eyes went wide in panic and quickly turned 360 degrees to get a look at the whole room. With each degree, her heart started to beat faster. There was some blood on the bed sheets, the walls were practically splattered with Katsu's blood and the floor looked like a mass murder scene. _Grandmother couldn't have…No!_

Anju sank to her knees. Her eyes were wide open, filled with fear and panic. Her brain wouldn't accept the images that her eyes were sending to it. Her mind refused to connect the signals that her nose and eyes were sending to it.

Her mind was a complete blank until Anju slowly allowed the facts to sink in. The same thoughts circulated in her mind over and over again. It was as if the images her eyes has seen were too much for her to comprehend and her brain started to run on a loop. _Grandmother…killed…Katsu? Katsu is d-_ Anju did not dare finish the thought.

Uncontrollably, tears started rolling down her cheeks. Anju didn't even feel mad at Elda. The thought of Katsu dead shattered absolutely everything. She glanced to her side and picked up a page of the vampire hunter manual that was covered in Katsu's blood.

Anju held it close to her nose and sniffed. Even though she knew already, she wanted to make sure. Yes, it was Katsu's. Anju started shacking uncontrollably. _NO. Katsu can't be…No! Katsu…Katsu…No, please…_

Anju took the page and held it tightly against her chest. Tears started to fall to the ground. Her vision was blurred by the stream of tears.

It was then that Anju somehow noticed that the page wasn't saturated in blood. Usually when somebody is killed, blood would be everywhere, and the blood would continue to come out of the body. Everything around the body would be soaked in blood. The ground and papers were nowhere near soaked. _Maybe…Katsu only got wounded?_

Anju felt a small glimmer of hope. She almost smiled. Yes, Anju was clinging to whatever hope she could find. Anything to believe that Katsu was alive. _Please, let him be alive. _

Faster than any vampire, Anju flew out of the window and rushed towards the Maaka mansion. That was where Elda was, and that was where Anju would find her.

The night air cleared Anju's mind. She now felt mad. Mad against Elda, desperate to find Katsu and completely forgotten that Katsu was involved with the vampire hunters. Boogie-kun would have called this 'Crazy First Love'. _Grandmother!_

--

Anju landed a couple of feet away from the front door and started walking towards it. Yes, she was mad at Elda, but she did not realize that from deep inside, Katsu contributed to this anger too. Mad at Elda for ruining her 'confession' and mad at Katsu for lying to her, yet somewhat happy because he confessed. And yes, Anju believed Katsu's last words to her without a doubt.

"Here she comes." Elda said to Calera and Henry. Anju's parents exchanged nervous glances. Elda on the other hand, was as calm as ever. _It's just a typical teenage tantrum, that's all. _Elda had no idea how wrong she was.

Anju 'loaded' 4 bats into each of her sleeves and calmly walked through the front door. Loudly, she slammed the door shut and Henry winced. Getting door replaced for mansions of that style wasn't exactly easy in Japan.

Elda turned her head and glanced at her angry granddaughter. _Here goes…I'm sorry Anju._

"Hello Anju" she said calmly. She rose from her armchair and faced Anju. Henry and Calera exchanged nervous glanced again. Both of them were wondering if Anju would attack Elda. Henry winced at that thought, he did not like violence. Calera on the other hand hoped that Anju would win.

"Grandmother…" Anju growled and scowled. "What did you do to Katsu?"

Anju eyed Elda intently. Like a card trick master, a bat came out of her sleeve and landed in her hand. Depending on Elda's answer, Anju was ready to fight. She did not even consider the fact that Elda was the strongest vampire of all currently living vampires. Her mind was filled with anger, desperation and a little joy. Yes, murder and confessions did make up a strange mix of emotions. But underneath the temporary wall of anger, Anju was still very fragile. Yes, deep inside, Anju was still a little girl looking for her Romeo. However, she believed that his Romeo was dead.

Henry and Calera looked nervously at Elda. They hoped Elda would let it come easy on Anju. They were both thinking the same thing. _Hopefully this won't become too ugly. _

"It's simple." Elda explained calmly. "Katsu is dead Anju. I killed him."

Those words shattered every emotion that Anju felt. Her head went blank, her eyes lost all expression and emotion. Boogie-kun felt a sudden disconnection from his doll body. He gulped. _This can't be good…_ Yes, even Boogie-kun felt nervous (which rarely happened because he isn't afraid to die, because he is already dead).

Anju let go of her bats and they flew away. She had lost all willpower. Anju sank to her knees and left her head hanging. Motionlessly, she stared at the ground.

Yes, Anju fully understood Juliet now, perhaps even better than Shakespeare himself.

After a couple of minutes, Anju still did not give any signal of mental presence. She continued to stare at the ground motionlessly. Henry, Calera and Elda exchanged worried looks.

With no emotion on her face, a tear started to roll down Anju's cheeks. Then a second. Soon they were streaming down uncontrollably. A few moments later Anju's mind fully comprehended what Elda said and it clicked. Nothing was going to stop the wave of emotions now.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Anju cried out in anguish.

Tears were flowing freely. Anju tightly shut her eyes and cried out. She pressed her head against the ground and cried. 'Katsu is dead', those three words hit home base. And boy, did they hit hard.

"Katsu…Katsu…Katsu..." Anju muttered between sobs. Her mind was a blank, she did not think anything anymore. All she felt was anguish, sorrow and just about every other emotion one can feel when losing a loved one, and more.

Anju was shaking uncontrollably; she did not feel mad at Elda or anybody, all she felt was sorrow. _Katsu…Katsu…I love…Katsu is d-_

_Katsu I…love. Katsu love me…_

_Katsu is dead. _

Anju completely forgot that Katsu had a vampire hunter badge, coat and equipment. Anju never had the grudge against humans that Elda had. She never encountered vampire hunters until Katsu came either. All she was told was that they were dangerous and that they kill vampires without a second thought.

Right now, as far as Anju was concerned, Katsu never hurt her, and he was dead. _Katsu is dead. _

Elda gave her granddaughter a repentant look. Seeing Anju cry so much hurt her too, she bit down on her lower lip. She turned to Henry.

"When is Ren going to get here?" she asked Henry with almost a sigh.

"In about two hours." Henry answered and let out a solemn sigh.

Calera closed her eyes, bit down on her lower lip and exhaled sharply. She had never seen Anju cry so much. Even when Karin had her memory erased Anju did not cry so much, nor cry out so dramatically. _Anju really must have loved him a lot…_

Calera walked over to Anju and gentle lifted her up. "C'mon Anju" she said ruefully and started to guide Anju towards the sofa furthest away from Elda's favorite armchair.

She sat Anju down on the sofa and put her arm around her shoulder. Anju did not stop crying. The pain she felt in her heart was far greater than any physical pain a vampire hunter could put her through. Heartbreak, one of the greatest pain a person could ever feel.

Henry watched Calera console their daughter and let out a profound sigh. As a father, this was painful to watch. He wasn't sure who he should blame for the current situation; Katsu, Elda or Anju herself. But then again, Henry wasn't the type of person to hold grudges.

"Calera…" he began.

"Call Ren and tell him to hurry up." Calera retorted while cradling Anju's head in her lab. "It's alright Anju, it's alright" she said soothingly while gently patting Anju's head. In truth she knew it, nothing was alright.

--

_2 hours later_

Henry heard the knock door.

"That must be Ren…" he muttered and walked over to the door to open it.

Ren now had his own family. He had also skillfully 'mastered' his wife. Ren now was the only person whom Bridget gladly obeyed, or else he would punish her in bed and not let go of her for the whole night.

Ren walked into the living room with Bridget and Rei and saw Calera consoling Anju.  
"Why is aunt Anju crying daddy?" Rei asked innocently. He could already somewhat feel what has happened. Heartbreak alright. He was just like his father.

Ren held his hand against his forehead and went through his own hair. "Shit…what happened this time?"

Ren felt a sense of déjà vu.

* * *

Yup, and that's chapter 21. Sorry that this one took so long but there were a number of reasons why there was no update last week.

1. For some reason, since about 2 weeks ago, everytime I sit at the computer and read something, my head would feel dizzy and I would get a headache. I tried to stay away from the computer as much as possible. That really helped. Now my head is clear again. But is still get a headache sometimes when I work at the computer. I found that having a constant source of Coke helps my clear my head when I start having headache when working at the computer. I know it's not healthy...but it's just a temporary solution I guess lol

2. I'm moving. Everything is going to Beijing. All my stuff will arrrive tomorow, so there will probably be no writing for me tomorow. I'll try to get chapter 22 done by the end of the week, but it's tight

Yup, and those are the two main reasons. Now besides worrying how hellish the IB Diploma will be (which I'm taking in Grade 11), I'm worrying my ass off about SAT.

Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter Twenty Two Ren's Task

**Chapter 22 – Ren's Task**

"What happened?" Ren demanded and started walking towards the living room where Anju was still being consoled by her mother.

Bridget and Rei closely followed him. They were both afraid of Elda, especially Bridget. The tension between the Brownwick and Maaka still hasn't gone after all those years. But then again, a couple of years was literally nothing in terms of a vampire's lifespan.

"Hey! An- " Ren tried to call out when Elda swiftly cut him off. All Ren managed to get out was a muffled cry. _What the hell is happening?_

Elda looked over to the living room and made eye contact with Calera. She signaled for her to carry Anju upstairs to her room. She did not want to take any chances with what she was about to explain to Ren. _Can't have my little plan spoiled just because I was too careless. _

"C'mon Anju, let's go." Calera said soothingly while gently lifting Anju up. "Let's go to your room Anju."

Slowly, Anju went along with her mother's gentle pull and began to stand up. Staring at the ground, she slowly followed Calera's pull. Her tears have dried. Or at least have dried for now. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, no emotion in them. Even the usual melancholic mood in her eyes was gone. Yes, Katsu's death had devastated her and destroyed whatever emotions she was always hiding underneath her apparent calm and emotionless expressions.

Even Bridget now noticed that Anju was even more solemn and emotionless than she usually was. And it's pretty hard to get more emotionless than Anju usually was. _Whatever happened to her?_

She, Ren and Rei watched Calera gently guiding Anju up the stairs. Ren was almost bursting with questions. He had never seen his little sister become so…dead. Even when Karin decided that Usui Kenta was more important to her, Anju did not become so overwhelmed in anguish.

_Could Anju have had her heart broken by a guy? _Ren wondered to himself. He couldn't help but smile a little at that thought. _She is at that age now…_ Ren's small smile grew a little bigger.

When they finally heard the doors to Anju's room slam shut, Ren would have bombarded Elda with questions, but his childhood trauma hasn't lessened the least. Not that he was worried about protecting Rei. _He's a man now. _He was about 3 years old. A rather mature 3 year old that is.

"Where is father?" Ren asked promptly, not wanting to speak with the old hag. Even after he married, he would still feel a sense of paranoia whenever Elda was within a 2 mile radius.

"Oh he is busy making phone calls" Elda replied and pointed over to Henry who was dialing numbers on an ancient router phone.

Elda then took a closer look at Ren, she beamed. Ren's body naturally send a chill up his spine. Normally Ren would have ran away when his body send him that signal, it showed that Elda was about to 'assault' him. But now he had a kid and wife to protect. That's right, Ren was a man now.

"Ren, you've grown again!" Elda beamed with sparkle in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, it 'knocked' all the air out of him, Ren could almost hear his rib cage contracting.

"What the hell you think you're doing you old hag?" Bridget growled and threw herself at Elda, which effectively dragged Ren to the ground.

Rei watched his dad struggling with the two women on top of him. A smirk spread across his face. He was getting the wrong idea. And no, Ren didn't raise him the wrong way. Ironically, as soon as Rei was born, much to Calera's and Bridget's pleasure, Ren started to become extremely responsible, although that didn't stop him from flirting with other women whenever he was out alone. But Bridget did manage to get Ren to stop sleeping with other women, it's still a mystery how she did it though.

"Get OFF me!" Ren shouted and abruptly stood up, causing the two ladies to fall to both sides. Barely seeing Ren's small outburst as a reason to stop, they continued fighting. Rei was getting some great entertainment.

Ren let out a frustrated sigh and pulled Bridget away from Elda. Elda on the other hand smiled and waved at Bridget. Even though Elda was over 200 years old, she still loved fight like she was only a hundred years old.

"You damned old hag!" Bridget said incredulously and attempted to lung herself at Elda again. Ren grabbed her by shoulder and gave her a piercing glare. Bridget instantly fell quiet. Rei just learned something again.

Ren exhaled sharply and turned to Elda. "What happened to Anju?" he asked with no fear in his voice, quite a feat for Ren. Anju was more important than his childhood trauma.

Elda chuckled at the serious look on Ren's face (she was still hyper from the small fight) and let out sigh. She was normal again, or at least as normal as Elda could get. Sometimes Ren even thought that Elda might be going insane with her old age. He didn't dare speak that thought to anyone.

"I think it would be best if I show you." Elda said and motioned for Ren to follow her. "Rei you stay here, Bridget you can come with us."

"But granny, I wanna go to…" Rei said with an incredibly innocence in his voice. Sometimes even Ren couldn't tell whether or not his son was acting.

"You stay here!" Elda snapped and continued to walk. Bridget and Ren closely followed. Rei had learned another new thing: obey people that are older than your father.

Elda led Ren and his wife outside, down the hill and into the bushes that surround the hill. Moments later, they found Katsu. Unconscious and lying between the bushes.

"This Ren, is a human boy who attempted, and almost succeeded in _seducing _your little sister." Elda explained. "He is the cause for Anju's depression."

Startled, Ren looked at Katsu. "What do you mean…I don't understand."

"This human here is called Katsu, he is a vampire hunter and it seemed that he managed to make Anju fall for him." Elda said again.

Ren shook his head and took a closer look at Katsu. _I have to admit, for a human, he is quite good looking. Anju has a good taste. _

"What _exactly_ happened?" Ren asked sharply, tired of Elda's vague explanations.

Elda let out a profound sigh.

"Alright…I let Anju find out that he," Elda pointed at Katsu. "Katsu is a vampire hunter. I expected Anju to at least wipe his memory but that didn't happen. In fact, when Anju found out that he was a vampire hunter, he confessed his love to her. It seemed that she was about to accept him, despite the fact that he is a vampire hunter. So I decided to knock out both of them. Later I made Anju believe that I killed him."

Looking thoughtfully at Katsu, Ren nodded a couple of times. _So Anju fell and nearly accepted a vampire hunter and now she believes he is dead._

…_now that's just painful _

Bridget looked at Katsu too and nodded. She understood. Or at least understood why Anju fell for Katsu. _He is good looking. Better than most of the other vampires. _

"So now Anju thinks that Katsu got killed by you right after he told her that he loved her?" Ren asked while suppressing a sudden rise of anger. He was surprised himself, but somehow he felt a rising anger when Elda told him all that. Mostly angry at Elda though.

Elda nodded.

"But he is still here, alive." Ren said. He had half a mind of just telling Anju right now that Katsu was still alive. _She has fallen for him and now she thinks he is dead. _He had actually never seen a vampire hunter before. There had been no interaction between vampires and vampire hunters for nearly a hundred years. But yet there is this human boy that Elda claims to be a hunter. _He is only…around 15 to 16. Too young I'd say even though I never met one. _

"Yes, I lied to Anju about that because I still need our little Katsu." Elda said with a small smile. "I'm going to have him prosecuted and persecuted at the vampire meeting that your father is calling together right now."

"What?" Ren exclaimed. Yes, to him, that was unheard of too.

Elda nodded. "Most of the Maaka family got persecuted back in Europe; it's time that we get some payback."

"Can't we just leave Anju alone with her happiness?" Ren asked with a frustrated sigh. "It would be much easier if we just told her that this Katsu boy is alive and everything would be fine."

Elda scowled and smacked Ren on the head. She wasn't happy with Ren's positive attitude towards Katsu. _Maybe deep inside he is fond of humans like Henry, he does spend a lot of time with human females…_

"You idiot!" Elda exclaimed. "The survival of our race is hanging on a tiny threat. Rei was the only vampire to be born in the past 50 years! We need Anju to mate with another vampire to ensure the survival of our race. We can't afford to lose Anju to some puny human!"

"But if she loves him so much, then it's a risk worth taking." Ren argues back. He wasn't fond of human males, in fact he despised them, but he knew how Anju felt. His first love was a human too.

"REN! We cannot afford to lose Anju! Do you understand!" Elda shouted angrily, she did not like Ren's attitude.

"Alright! Alright" Ren said with a sigh of defeat. "I'm not gonna tell Anju about him."

"So what do you actually called me over for?" Ren asked, already somewhat knowing what his grandmother had in store for him.

"Your father, Calera and I are leaving for the vampire meeting tomorrow night. We need you to take care of Anju, protect the house and keep the barrier up with your bats." Elda explained. "Try to make Anju get over Katsu. Make her think of other things."

As much as Ren was a complete womanizer and sex fiend, he knew how hard it could sometimes be for a girl to get over a certain guy; he had broken countless hearts himself. And judging from the glimpse he got of Anju when she was in Calera's arms and walking up the stairs, Ren could only come to the conclusion that Anju loved Katsu a whole hell lot. _Damn you Katsu. Now I have to suffer too because you charmed her too much._ Ren had no idea what he should do about Anju. _This old hag knows nothing about heartbreak does she…_

"Alright, alright. I'll take care of her." Ren said with a sigh._ What a pain in the ass._ "How long are you three gonna be gone?"

"About a week." Elda replied. "Add a couple of days if the vampires want to see Katsu in even more pain."

"Alright, alright!" Ren said in a slightly annoyed tone. "I get it. Let's go back to the mansion Bridget."

Like a maid Bridget obeyed and closely followed Ren. Normally she would start being sweet with Ren, but not this time, not with Elda around.

With a small smile, Elda watched and mused how Bridget was following her husband the wife beater. _Ren has mastered her quite well._

--

Calera slammed the door shut and sat Anju down on her bed. Anju was still unresponsive. Calera started to get worried. The first time when Anju came back with Katsu to the mansion, she absolutely showed no affection for him at all. In fact, she wanted to hunt him down like an animal when Katsu escaped through the bathroom window. Now Anju was completely devastated by Katsu's death. More than devastated.

"There, there Anju…" Calera consoled her. _What happened between the first time she met Katsu and now? Love at first sight? _Yes, Calera knew that her daughter often hid many of her actual emotions under emotionless expressions.

Boogie-kun's one remaining button eye grew wide in whatever way it could.

"Oh God, what happened? Oh man…" he asked. The only time where he had seen his master so overwhelmed in anguish was when Karin congratulated her for turning into a full vampire. But even then Anju hadn't been devastated to such a deep state. _This can't be good…_

"Long story." Calera quickly answered and continued consoling Anju. In fact, the story was quite short, but complicated.

"It' alright Anju, it' alright…" Calera said while gently patting her head. In reality, she knew nothing was alright. Anju believed that Katsu was dead, and first loves are usually quite powerful ones. Anju's raging vampire hormones wrecked havoc when detecting Katsu's scent.

Anju's head was still buries in her mother's arms, her long tresses falling like curtains around her. She was breathing slowly. Her dark, melancholic eyes had no life in them. One could look into her eyes and swear that there was no light in them. _Katsu is dead. Katsu is dead. Katsu is dead._ The thought wouldn't leave her head. It kept repeating, going on a loop. Nonstop.

Anju felt a numb pain in her chest. Ren would describe as a major case of emotional heartbreak.

…_Katsu..._

She closed her eyes bit down on her lower lip. A tear trickled down her cheek. Anju didn't want to accept it. She refused to accept it. Yet, all the facts were there. She was knocked out, Katsu's blood was splattered everywhere and Elda openly claimed that she killed him.

She wished that everything that happened at the hostel was a bad dream and that she would wake up. Wake up and then go to Katsu and tell him that she loved him. Anju wished so many things, but the chances of any of them becoming true, was slim.

_Katsu, Katsu…Katsu…_ His name wouldn't leave her heard. His carefree smile, his deep dark eyes, the soft feeling of his hair. She needed him, she wanted him. _He is d-…_

Anju bit down on her lower lip and started sobbing uncontrollably again. _No…He can't be…the blood…Grandmother said she ki-_

…_Katsu I love you…_The words she never got to say to him. The words that would have made all the difference.

Anju didn't even feel mad against Elda. She was drowned in anguish, sorrow and regret. She believed that Katsu was dead. Her first love. Her only love.

Calera gentle caressed her head. This is the first time in a long time that Anju had cried for anybody besides Karin. In the past, whenever Anju showed emotion and cried, it was always for Karin. She cried when Karin was kidnapped, she cried when Karin came back and she cried when Karin had her memories erased. Every time it was for her beloved sister. This is the first time that Anju had cried for anybody else besides Karin. _And it is a human boy…a vampire hunter_

Calera let out a small sigh at that thought and glanced over at Boogie-kun. Surprisingly, he didn't look like he was about to burst with questions. Quite the opposite, he was as quiet and solemn as ever.

Boogie raised his knife and pointed it at Anju. "What happened?" was the only thing he asked.

"Elda killed Katsu. I think you can figure out the rest." Calera said solemnly. This is actually the first time she ever directly talked to Anju's favorite doll. Yes, it felt weird to reply and talk directly to a doll with a butcher knife in his right hand.

"I have to go now Anju." Calera said gently and slowly stood up.

Calera walked over to Boogie-kun. "Take care of her" she whispered to where she thought his ear could be and left Anju's room. Carefully closing the door behind her. _Hopefully that useless doll will be useful for once. _

It was time for Calera to prepare for the trip to the Elder's House.

--

_The next night_

Elda was right, every vampire in Japan was eager to see Katsu in pain. Especially the younger male vampires jumped when they heard that Katsu tried to seduce Anju. They want to see him in a lot of pain alright.

"About half of all the vampires have arrived at the Elder's House already." Henry reported to Elda. "Two more nights, and everyone should be there. "

"Good." Elda replied. She stayed silent, she was thinking. She was starting to wonder when Katsu would wake up. _I haven't accidentally wiped his whole mind clean did I? _Katsu would be no good if his mind was a blank.

"We will leave tonight then." Elda finally announced after some more moments of thoughts.

Calera quickly packed some bottles of chilled blood in her bag and left the house. Henry followed right after.

"You know what to do Ren." Elda said to Ren.

Ren nodded. "Yeah, I know. I know."

Without another word, Elda left.

Like a ghost, Bridget appeared from the shadows. She looked worried, Anju still hasn't recovered. Yes, even Bridget managed to feel some sympathy for Anju.

"Are you really going to follow what the old hag told you?" Bridget asked solemnly. "Anju doesn't look well at all."

Ren let out a long sigh. "I don't know…I don't know. I'll wait for a few days."

"I'm gonna go upstairs to see how she's doing." Ren said with a sigh.

_God damnit…_

_

* * *

_

Yup, and Ren finally made an appearance. Sorry for the long delay, but my neighboor turned off his wireless so I had to search for a new one (my dad still hasn't got the phone set up, so I don't know when I will get my own connection). Right now, I'm sitting outside on a bench, in the sun, intercepting the only working non-password protected wirless I could find (and no, there is no Starbucks anywhere close to where I'm living).

Since I have no more internet at home, I started thinking...a lot. Besides finalzing my thoughts for the ending, I also analysed why Twilight became a success (I personally found all 4 books just mediocre). With all that extra time, I wrote a random original one-shot (aka short story) with no real plot based on my thoughts about Twilight. The thing is, Twilight is mostly popular among girls, guys just hate Edward Cullens. My original one-shot is for guys (lol). It's not good enough to post it on fictionpresss (or at least I think so) but if you want to read it, send me a message and I'll send it to you as an e-mail attachment.

Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter Twenty Three Ren's Decision

**Important:** I've been using a lot of random wireless hotspots lately, so there is a chance that I may have goten my password stolen. If I've been sending out weird or rude messages, just let me know. Thanks

* * *

**Chapter 23 - Ren's Decision**

Katsu groaned. His head was spinning. _What happened? _Slowly, he tried to open his eyes but was forced to instantly close them again. _What's with this wind? _

Slowly he tries to open one of his eyes, and then the other. Slowly getting used to the force of the wind. He glanced around to see where he was. It was in the middle of the night, but the moonlight was stronger than usual. He could make out a wide and arid landscape zipping past, with a couple of trees here and there along with some patches of grass. _Am I dead? _He continued to glance around. He quickly realized where he was. Or at least what he was on._ Why am I on a train?_

Katsu tried to sit up; it was then that he realized that he was tied up. _I'm being held captive?_

He then remembered what happened. He confessed to Anju, and then a woman knocked him out.

_Oh hell…_

Cautiously, he tried to turn around and see what was holding him. He saw Henry and Calera sitting behind him. For some reason, Katsu felt slightly disappointed. _I guess I'm not in hell. _

Before they noticed him, he quickly turned around and glanced upwards. With her back facing him, Elda was sitting in front of him. Katsu felt even more disappointed.

"Hey!" Katsu exclaimed.

Elda rapidly turned around and a small smile formed on her lips.

"So you finally decided to wake up" she said incredulously and Katsu was afraid that she would spit on him.

Even though Elda didn't show it, secretly she was glad that Katsu finally woke up. She let the bat hit his head harder than she intended. _Can't persecute and prosecute him if his mind is a blank._

"What are you going to do with me? Why are we on a train?" Katsu asked, glad that he was still alive, but still nervous about the situation. _Since she hasn't killed me, it means that I still have some use to her. But once I'm no use to her…_

Elda sighed and looked at Henry. "We don't need to hide it from him anyway, you explain it to him."

Henry nodded back and looked at Katsu. Katsu made an effort to turn his head around to get a better view of Henry, it was an awkward position for his neck.

"We are heading north to a vampire meeting." Henry explained with a solemn tone.

Katsu's heart sank. _No…_

Henry didn't need to explain anymore. Katsu understood. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "What are you going to do with me there?"

"You're fate will await you there." Calera answered. "You will be put on trial and the judge and jury will make their decision."

"And let me guess, the judge and jury will all be vampires." Katsu said with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly." Elda said with a small evil smile and she had perfected over the decades. "You are going to receive the punishment you deserve."

Only one thought was in Katsu's head. _Not good…_

Katsu started to glance around again, looking for any way to escape, because one thing was clear to him, the judge and jury weren't going to let him live. _And I'm not even a vampire hunter. But they probably won't believe me anyway if I told them. _

He looked to the side, and at the landscape that they were speeding past. He considered rolling off the train's roof. But judging from the speed the train was moving at, that would suicide.

Katsu started turning his wrist, in an attempts to slowly lose the rope that had tied him up. Elda smiled at Katsu's attempt.

"If you're trying to free yourself, then it's a futile attempt" she said as Katsu continued to struggle. "The rope won't loosen because its alive."

"What?" Katsu exclaimed and turned to see what exactly had tied him up. The rope wasn't brown or whatever shape and color he expected it to be. The rope was completely black and not even round. It had spikes all over it.

"It's a rope made out of living bats." Calera said.

If Katsu could have, his jaw would have dropped slightly dropped. But in his current position, well, it would be pretty hard. _Holy Christ, I didn't vampires could do that. _

Despite the fact that he was held captive and was almost guaranteed to get executed, Katsu couldn't help but wonder why they were on top of a train instead of inside it.

"Why are we on top of a train instead of inside it?" Katsu asked out of pure curiosity, glancing at all three Maakas.

"Vampires usually don't have money." Henry explained. "We don't need money because the only thing we need to live is blood."

"We also don't feel the cold as much as you humans do." Calera said. That was a lie. All three of them, with the exception of Elda, were freezing.

Katsu decided to stop talking. He needed time to think. _There's just got to be way to get out of this situation. _An idea crosses his mind. He pressed his arms tightly against his legs and felt a slight lump in his right pocket. _Good, my phone is still there._

_As soon when I'm alone, I'll call Jun's emergency number. _

…_Or maybe I can talk myself out of this situation. _

"Uhm…hey…" Katsu started and turned his head towards Henry. _He looks negotiable. _"You know, maybe we can talk about this."

Henry surprisingly gave him a surprised look. With all honesty, he didn't expect Katsu to be this calm. He actually expected him to panic and freak out when he woke up. _What is he scheming?_

Henry didn't reply, but simply looked at him. Elda on the other hand flashed Katsu an angry glare that he didn't see. Calera remained motionless, observing the situation. _That's quite a unique boy Anju has fallen for._

"Look I know I have hurt Anju in some way, but I can fix that." Katsu offered while his mind was racing. He had no idea what he was saying, making it up as he went along. "I can make Anju hate me and despise humans if you want me to." Katsu offered. _Not that I ever intend to do that. _

Katsu glanced around, looking for any responses. He decided to keep talking until he got their attention. _I hope this works…_

"With all honesty guys, I don't know how I ever got into that situation. I'm really not sure myself what happened. Judging from the last thing I saw before I got knocked out," Katsu looked at Elda. "I know that I have hurt Anju a lot. But I can fix that."

Katsu wasn't lying with that one.

Even though Henry didn't show it, Henry was touched by Katsu's offer. _There is truth in his eyes. _

"Look guys, if you let me go, I promise that I will fix whatever I can and then vanish out of yours and Anju's life. Just let me go, and I can fix what I broke." Katsu said. Yes, he meant it.

Henry was about to reply when Calera cut him off. "You have hurt Anju and that's unforgivable. You are going to receive the punishment you deserve and more."

To his own surprise, Katsu felt a shot of frustration when Calera said that. "Aha! I have hurt Anju, that's true, but I can fix whatever damage I have caused."

"What makes you think you can do it?" Calera asked him. Even Elda was curious now and turned around to get a better view of Katsu. Not that she had any intention of taking up Katsu's offer. That would ruin her entire plan. _Anju would never let go of him. _

"I managed to make Anju fall for me, what makes you think I can't reverse it?" Katsu shot back.

Elda felt a shot anger go through her. Yup, what Katsu just said simply pissed her off. Elda was tempted to knock Katsu out cold again.

Henry and Calera were silent. To them, Katsu did make some sense. If he broke it, there's a high chance that he can fix it. If he managed to seduce Anju, then there is a high chance that he can reverse the heartbreak. But reverse the heartbreak, at what cost?

Elda let out a frustrated sigh. "How can you two actually listen to this puny human?" she exclaimed. "Isn't it obvious that he is just trying to escape and then make Anju run away with him."

"Actually I wasn't planning on doin-"

"SHUT UP!" Elda shouted and sent a bat to knock Katsu again. This time, making sure that the impact was light enough so that he will regain consciousness within a couple of hours.

"He is a threat to our race's survival." Elda said with a tired sigh and looked disappointedly at her son and daughter-in-law. "I can't believe you two were actually going to accept this offer."

Without another word, Elda turned around again, her back facing the other two Maaka's and a unconscious teenage who wasn't too sure about how he got himself tangled up in his situation.

Henry and Calera exchanged glances and began to drink to drink a mix of blood and hot tea from the thermo can. It was one of Anju's ideas (inspired by Katsu). Add blood to the liquid to enhance the taste. They considered this as another sign that Anju was a vampire prodigy. Anju never told them about the cookies Katsu made for her.

Both of them were less concerned with dealing Katsu, but they were more worried about Anju, and helping Anju recover. That is why they were willing to listen to Katsu's offer, because they cared more about finding way to let Anju be happy again, even if it means cooperating with a vampire hunter.

Henry was too loyal to his mother to even think about betrayer her and freeing Katsu, while Calera did not dare to directly confront the most powerful vampire alive. If she freed Katsu, it wouldn't be one of their usual fights at home, she would be branded as traitor by every vampire.

Yes, it was a difficult situation for everyone.

--

_At the Maaka mansion. _

Ren walked up the stairs and towards Anju's room. He was determined to do something about his little sister. Seeing her so depressed made him depressed too. He had no idea what he was going to do, but if even Bridget started to worry, then it must be really serious.

With a knock he slowly opened the door and walked into Anju's room. She was lying face down on the bed. Ren could hear her sobbing, whispering Katsu's name between sobs. He had never seen his little sister cry that hard.

"Hey Anju." Ren greeted her with no particular emotion in his voice. _Oh man…_

Anju lifted her head up and gave him a glazed glance before turning around again. Yes, Anju had take damage when she heard that Katsu died.

Ren sat down next to her and gently patted her head. He glanced down at her. _She really has grown a lot since the last time I saw her. _Anju was one beauty of a teenager now. Very much desired among vampire males. Ren knew about that, many have asked him to introduce them to her. Every single one Ren chased off.

"Look Anju," Ren began. "There is more than just one guy in this world. Getting over one guy isn't that hard. You just have to start thinking about other things. Fill you time, maybe even try to find a new love. You can't just keep thinking about this one dead guy."

Ren scanned Anju for any response. Anju continued crying. _Katsu…Katsu…I love you…_

With a sigh, Ren continued. "Katsu is a vampire hunter Anju. He is our enemy. Going into a relationship with him will lead to nothing but pain for you. Look, from what I've heard, he already has hurt you in order to get closer to you. You should let go of him Anju."

"It's alright to go and find another love; it's not betraying him no matter how you look at it." Ren said while trying to give Anju a reassuring smile. He couldn't do it.

Anju looked up again, and for a moment Ren thought that he managed to reach her. Instead, Anju gave him another glazed glance and started to cry harder. She tried to stop herself from crying, but simply couldn't do it. There just was this incredible sadness inside her. This sadness was just in her heart and she needed to cry it out. She wasn't even trying to think of Katsu, but this sudden sadness inside her made her think of him. She didn't even understand why this sadness was there. _Why…why…why…Katsu…_

Anju knew that Katsu was a vampire hunter and that all their previous meetings were set up by him in order to get him closer to her. She didn't want to believe that, she refused to accept that. There was just something that made everything that happened real, not just a set up by the vampire hunters. She saw the guns, grenades, badge and killing instructions in Katsu's room, proof that he might try to kill her. She knew that she was supposed to hate him, yet the feelings she had for Katsu simply wouldn't change. Anju bit down on her lower lip. The image of Katsu's carefree smile simply wouldn't leave her head.

Seeing how Anju wasn't going to respond, Ren let out a tired sigh, turned to Boogie-kun and gave him a 'what the hell am I supposed to do" look.

Boogie-kun shrugged in whatever ways a possessed doll could shrug. "I guess your generation never really learned about vampire hunters. It's your grandmother's generation that were hunted like animals by humans, you and Anju's generation never encountered the dangers that your grandmother's generation faced back in Europe."

"But they attacked her." Ren replied. "She got attacked by those bastards, why is she still like this?"

Ren wasn't even afraid that Anju would hear him, he knew she wasn't listening anyway.

"To be honest, I don't think Katsu is a real vampire hunter." Boogie-kun said while looking at Anju thoughtfully with his one remained button eye. "If he wanted to kill her or capture her, there were plenty of opportunities before to do that. But he didn't do it. It was almost as if he fell for her halfway through the game and had a change of heart."

"How do you know all that?" Ren asked, slightly suspicious. _How can a doll that's sitting in a room know so much?_

"I'm a doll," Boogie-kun explained. "my body doesn't allow me to move like you people, so I have a lot of time to think. Also, I have no physical ears, hence I can't lose hearing and my hearing will always be perfect. Plus, Anju hasn't been carrying me around that much because she wanted to be alone with Katsu."

"How can you hear if you have no real ears?"

"I don't know. Ask Anju, she's the one who put me in this body."

With a sigh, Ren turned to Anju. She had stopped crying, although her emotions haven't cleared up one bit.

"Hey Anju," Ren began and gentle shook her shoulder. "do you love him that much?"

Anju nodded.

Ren let out a profound sigh and started to think. _Godamnit, what should I do?_

After some more moments of thought, Ren made his choice. _Tch, I'll be damned. _

He looked at Anju, and then at Boogie-kun and then at Anju again. _Hmph, damn you, you old hag. _

"Hey Anju." Ren said and shook he shoulder, slightly rougher this time. "We're going to the Elder's House."

Anju didn't budge. She remained motionless on her bed.

Ren let out a frustrated sigh and lifted her up, carrying her with one arm on his right shoulder.

To Anju's own surprise, she felt a shot of anger rise inside her. Her mind raced, she was in fire. She isn't going to go to the Elder's House. She isn't going to chose a husband.

"NO! NO! NO!" Anju protested at the loudest her voice would allow and hammered Ren's shoulder with all her might.

Yes, it was painful. Ren could swear that he could feel his ears losing hearing.

"I'M NOT GOING! WHY ARE WE GOING? WHY ARE WE GOING." Anju screamed, her eyes wide with anger.

"BECAUSE KATSU IS ALIVE!"

* * *

Yup, and that's chapter 23. School is starting for me on August 24th. So just about 3 weeks left. Once IB starts, I will be working me ass off (aka very little, if any time for any type of creative writing), so I will be trying really hard to finish the story before school starts. New place, new school. All I hope is that I'll find some new friends fast, that will make all the work go easier, not to mention more fun lol.

I might be getting active on fictionpress once school starts because I have to do CAS in IB, hence I have to do something that serves the community. I'm considering writing short stories for the school newsletter (I know, nobody reads it, but I just need the hours to pass the year), and if I write them, I might as well post them online. Again, if anybody wants to read my short Twilight for guys (aka a guy's romance fantasy, no sex in it), just send me a message.

Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter Twenty Four Bargain

**Chapter 24 – Bargain**

The train stopped, it had arrived at its final station. Katsu slowly opened his eyes and then shut them tight again. It was cold alright. Much colder than Tokyo. He felt himself being lifted up into the air and then a sudden landing. He decided to open his eyes again. _Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Now what?_

To his surprise, Henry was carrying him while Calera was walking next to him and Elda in the front. Both of them had a solemn expression on their faces while Elda was skipping in the front. Elda was looking forwards to bullying other vampires at the Elder's House.

"Uhm hey, I'm awake." Katsu said and looked up at Henry, he did not like the feeling of being carried around. "You can let me down now."

Staring solemnly at the ground for a couple of moments, Henry quickly shook his head.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't notice."

He sat Katsu down on his feet and signaled for him to keep walking. Katsu glanced around and scanned the surroundings. A couple of miles away, he could make out a forest in the darkness. _Maybe when we're in the forest, I can run off into the trees. _

"Don't even think about running away." Calera said solemnly as if she just read Katsu's thought. "We have bats under our control, as soon as you take a step into the wrong direction, we will simply knock you unconscious."

Katsu let out a sharp, annoyed breath and kept walking with the three Maakas. _This isn't good…_He considered calling Jun, but one of the three vampires is probably just going to snatch the phone out of his hands before he can go to his contacts list. _Just wait…just wait. _

"How long till your vampire meeting place?" Katsu asked with a tired sigh, he hasn't eaten in over half a day. The empty feeling in his stomach was killing him.

"About 3 more hours." Henry answered. "We will take a rest once we are in the forest."

'Henry!" Elda exclaimed angrily. "Why are you telling him so much about our plans?"

"But mother, I thought that he will get the death penalty anyway."

Katsu's heart sank, even thought he already knew that that fate awaited him at the vampire meeting. _I don't even have a plan to get out of here…_

Elda tch'd and continued walking in front of them, humming an ancient tune that barely any vampire from Anju's generation knows. This is the first time she would be at a vampire meeting, she felt exiting like a little child.

She was over 200 years old.

They continued walking and about one hour later they were well into the black forest that seemed to be so far away from the train station.

"I thought the walk from the train station to the forest looked to be a lot longer." Katsu said. "It seemed like at least a couple of kilometers."

"Starting from the forest, we vampires have set up a barrier that keeps humans away." Calera explained. "The fact that the forest seems to be so far is just an illusion."

Katsu seemed to be unimpressed by that, but inside, the hopes he had for escape were getting lower and lower with every vampire ability revealed to him. _Now I've seen it all. _Katsu had no idea how wrong he was.

They continued to walk; Katsu's stomach was starting growl now. He hasn't eaten anything for about 10 hours. He was at his limit. _Maybe I should ask for something to eat…?_

"Uhm…when are we going to take a rest?" Katsu asked with a tried sigh, he was at his limit now. He was the type of guy who would get hungry after about two or three hours no matter how big his previous meal was. 10 hours is almost amazing for his appetite.

"Just a couple more minutes." Henry replied and started to look around. Calera did the same.

_I wonder what they are looking for._ Again, Katsu considered running away while they were distracted. His stomach then reminded him that he was out of energy. Apparently, Katsu doesn't feel that he is in enough danger to ignore his stomach's complaints.

"What are you looking for?" Elda asked when she noticed that he and Calera were both looking for something.

"We should be getting pretty close. Henry said while scanning the surrounding areas. "It should be somewhere around here."

"Let's keep walking." Calera suggested and they did.

After a couple more minutes, they passed an abandoned wooden hut.

"Ahh, here it is." Henry said, relieved that he finally found what he was looking for. "Come mother, let's get something to drink."

"This is it?" Katsu asked skeptically when he saw the abandoned wooden hut. He had expected something…bigger. "I thought when you said vampire meeting, that the meeting place would be a lot…_bigger._"

Calera rolled her eyes and smacked him on the head. "Of course this isn't the Elder's House. This is a resting stop set up for vampires that have to travel long distances to get here."

Henry went inside and got out a couple of bottles of chilled blood. "The best blood there is in this area" he said jovially and handed everyone a bottle, including Katsu.

"Do you have something that humans can eat?" Katsu asked while looking at the bottle of blood that Henry handed to him. "Humans can't drink blood…or at least I can't."

"Oh that's right." Henry said slightly absent mindedly and pulled out a bottle of water and a piece of rock hard bread from his cape. Katsu's jaw slightly dropped. _That's a pretty neat cape that he got there. _He had no idea that Henry's cape was alive…in way.

"Here you go." Henry handed Katsu the bottle of water and the rock hard bread. Katsu started to gnaw on the bread and then softened it in his mouth using water and saliva. Elda threw him a disgusted look.

"Do all humans eat like animals?" she asked him with an incredulous tone along with a grimace.

"It's not my fault that this bread is harder than rock." Katsu replied with a scowl. "You try eating this, but I'd strongly recommend not doing it." Katsu smiled slightly. "Your delicate fangs might break with you try to eat this."

Elda smacked him on the head with a bat and went inside the hut to see what else there was. She hoped that she might find some blood that suited her preference, or some blood that was fresher than the stuff that Henry gave to her.

"Here's some tea." Henry said in almost a whisper to Katsu as he drew out the thermo can from his cape.

Katsu raised an eyebrow. _Is he afraid of that woman who thinks I'm an animal? Or does he think she won't let me drink tea?_

Without any further hesitation, Katsu grabbed the thermo can and drank. The tea wasn't even that hot anymore, it was just right to be gulping it down continuously. It made him feel all warm inside. It was definitely better than the water and bread.

"Thanks." Katsu mutter under his breath and turned around to continue scan the surroundings. _There's just got be a window of opportunity somewhere…c'mon._

Yes, Katsu was afraid of dying. Mostly because there were just too many things on the list of things he wanted to do before ending up dead. The first being to get Anju to understand his actions, or at least let her know his side of the story. Second, would be to get a kiss from girl…or vampire. He didn't really care about which anymore. Third would be to show a picture of Anju to his friends; his time to shine.

After they have rested a bit, the group of three (plus one prisoner) continued walking towards the Elder's House. With each step, Katsu became more anxious. Because with each step, his time to make an escape plan was running out. His breathing started to become heavier. _Godamnit, there's just got to be something…_

They continued walking until the Elder's House literally suddenly appeared in front of them. The three vampires continued to walk on, the human stood there, in awe. Not only was the size of the mansion that amazed him, it was the solemn aura that struck him the most. Plus the fact that it somewhat suddenly appeared in front of him.

"W-where did that mansion come from?" Katsu stammered and pointed at the mansion that rose precipitously out of the dark forest.

"That's the Elder's House." Calera replied.

"But if it's this big, then we should have seen it earlier."

"That's because we vampires have put a barrier around it." Calera explained. "We vampires could already see some of the mansion as soon as we came closer to it. Humans can only see it once they walk past the barrier."

"It also prevents humans from coming close to the Elder's House." Elda added. "If you get to close to the barrier, it will cause you to walk in circles."

"Well I'm here." Katsu said with a small victorious smile. He couldn't help but feel al little smug about this.

Elda scowled and smacked him on the head with a bat again. "That's because we have just made a hole into it so that you can pass" she said with a sneer.

"I feel so important…" Katsu muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Nothing. I'm just saying…"

They had no idea what he was saying.

Without another word, he group of four continued to walk until they reached the front door of the massive mansion. Up close, it seemed even more grand and solemn than before. Despite the situation he was in, Katsu could help but feel both impressed and awed. _Vampires have a good taste…_

Immediately, Elda knocked hard on the door. Katsu could swear he heard the door groan a little under Elda's force. _Maybe I said something that pissed her off?_

A middle aged male vampire opened the door. It was Estleman Liga. Bridget's father-in-law.

"Welcome! Welcome!" he greeted the group jovially and looked at every member of the group. He then noticed Katsu. "Ah, the vampire hunter is here" he said with a snicker.

He began to walk out to have a closer look at Katsu when he bumped straight into Elda. She was so short that Estleman didn't see her when she was right in front of him. It pissed Elda off and Estleman didn't seem the least impressed.

"Oh it's you again Pushuke," he said with an almost irritated tone in his voice. "I thought you already went off with some puny human."

"BROWNWICK SCUM!" Elda yelled at him at the loudest her voice would allow her and send him flying for a couple of feet with her fist.

With a plump, Estleman landed on the ground, eyes filled with shock. Cold sweat started forming on his back. He shook uncontrollably with fear.

"E-elda?" he managed to stammer. "Wait, NO! Please don't hurt me! Get away from me! HELP!"

In an instant, he got up and started to sprint down the hallway. Time for 100 meters: 7.05 seconds. Estleman just broke every world record in sprinting, both human and vampire. With an evil laugh, Elda began to chase him and vanished into the darkness of the hallway.

Wide eyed, Katsu watched the entire spectacle. He then turned his head and looked at Henry and Calera.

"What did she do to him in the past?" he asked both of them with a small nervous laugh. _If she did something that bad to a vampire, what is she going to do with me?_

"Trust me, you don't want to know" was Calera's only answer. Henry nodded in agreement.

Despite that fact that Estleman was probably a vampire that wanted him dead, Katsu genuinely felt sorry for him.

Now, a group of three continued walking down the corridor. Katsu swallowed. His mind was racing now. _Not good. Not good. I'm already in the house…shit, how am I supposed to…damn_

His eyes glanced around quickly, looking in every direction, scanning for even the smallest opportunity to escape this place.

They continued walking until they reached a large door at the end of the corridor. There was no sign of Elda anywhere. She must have done something really bad to Estleman. There are rumors that in the past she chased him for so long that he eventually fainted from exhaustion. Elda didn't break a sweat.

Henry slowly opened the large, wooden door. Katsu could swear he heard him sigh. _Maybe I could somehow bargain? _The foundations for an ingenious escape plan began to shape up.

With a gulp, Katsu entered and was faced by a crowd of vampires that numbered into the thousands. Not only did the vampires in Japan travel for this prosecution and persecution, vampires from all over Asia have traveled to northern Japan just for him. The news traveled faster than a rumor in middle school.

Katsu's eyes were now filled with fear. _Jesus, Mary and Joseph…someone up there really must hate me. _

_Just keep calm…just keep calm and keep thinking…bargain…._

_They have my life in their hands, is there anything that I have that they could possibly want?_

With Henry and Calera giving him slight pushes, Katsu walked through the room. Every vampire in the room had they eyes on him. Katsu felt small alright. Very small. He could hear his heart pounding against his chest. Even though Katsu just had begun to form somewhat of a plan, he still felt desperate. Yes, Katsu was grasping.

He decided to continue glancing around and made eye contact with a couple of vampires. Every single vampire had a contemptuous expression on their faces when they saw him. Some even smiled incredulously

His eyes then made contact with a female vampire who had her hair in two large buns and was wearing glasses. There was nothing special about her, except the fact that she gave him a rather rueful look than a glare filled with disgust.

She quickly averted her look and vanished behind the rows of vampires that glared at him.

To Katsu's surprise, the room was awfully silent. He expected to be greeted by a mob of vampires that yelled and threw various rotten fruits at him, not to mention the spit. None of that happened. The only noise in the whole room was an occasional whisper or two. It was as if Katsu wasn't the main attraction, which he knew that he was.

Besides wanting to see Katsu's judgment and execution, the vampire crowd also wanted to see Elda; a living legend among vampires. One of the few survivors of her generation and yet still the strongest vampire they knew. None of them were particularly excited to see Elda, no, most of them feared her, but they were all nervous one way or the other.

Katsu walked to the defendants stand and took his seat. Calera and Henry stood like guards next to him. Katsu knew that they only wanted to make sure that he didn't pull any tricks while he was unguarded. _So much for turning around to pretend to make a last prayer and call Jun…_

Katsu looked around and wondered what the vampires were waiting for; the main attraction was here. It was time to party. _If I'm going to get prosecuted, then where is the judge? _

…_since I'll get persecuted later on anyway, why a trial?_

After a few more minutes of silence with an occasional whisper, Elda walked in to the courtroom. One could hear gasps of wonder and surprise from the crowd, nobody expected Elda to look so young.

Without any greetings, Elda walked up to the Judge's seat. With her fist, she pounded the table to silence the last whispers, which have increased since she entered the room.

"Court is now in session!" Elda announced. Nobody dared to make another whisper.

"Today our defendant Katsu-" Elda gave Katsu a demanding questioning look. It took Katsu a moment to understand what she wanted.

"Takahashi" he answered. "Katsu Takahashi."

"Today, our defendant Katsu Takahashi will met the consequences for attempting to seduce Anju Maaka!" Elda announced.

At once, the crowd began to cheer like a crowd when the deciding goal was made during the finals of the Fifa Worldcup. They went completely out of control. Some simply cheered, others shouted 'DEATH!" at the top of their lungs.

Katsu felt even smaller. _She just had to use 'seduce Anju Maaka' to fire up the crows huh. _

"Katsu Takahashi is a-" Elda began to say when she got interrupted by Katsu.

"Uhm…your Honor?"

"What?" Elda snapped at him.

"Where's my lawyer?"

"What's a lawyer?"

Both of Katsu's eyebrows sank. _A bloody lawyer you hag…_

"Never mind, continue on your Honor." Katsu said with an almost disappointed sigh.

"What judgment do you want to give to this vampire hunter?" Elda asked the vampire crowd with enthusiasm.

"DEATH!" the crowd replied with even more enthusiasm. Many more cheers followed. Not a single one without the word death.

After a couple of minutes, Elda silenced the crowd. "As you all know, this vampire hunter has attempted to seduce Anju Maaka and hence is a threat to the survival of our race." She gave Katsu an evil smile. Katsu didn't flinch, his mind was on something else entirely. _How do I win the crowd for myself? If I have the crowds support, then I can somehow get myself out of here…how, how, how do I do it?_

_Seduce Anju Maaka…threat to our race…seduce…threat…_

…

_I'VE GOT IT!_

Now barely within Elda's own control, the crowd began to shout again.

"DEATH!" the crowd thundered down on Katsu. The same word was repeated endlessly.

"HEY GUYS!" Katsu shouted. "Can you listen to me for a second?"

The crowd didn't show the least sign of having any interest in what Katsu had to say. For another 15 minutes they drowned Katsu in death threats.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Katsu tried again, now feeling frustrated.

After another half an hour of shouting, the crowd eventually grew tired of shouting and some decided to actually listen to, what they considered, the last word of the vampire hunter.

Katsu felt relieved that the crowd had grown weary of shouting. _This is it, my only shot. _He took a deep breath.

"I know you people think I'm the most despicable human that ever existed. But believe it or not, I have something that you want." Katsu began to say, he could hear the crowd frown. "I think the fact that you think that I'm a threat to your very survival is not because I have attempted to seduce Anju Maaka, but because all of you have _failed _to win her heart and see me as a threat because I have come closer and been more successful than any of you."

To his own surprise, the crowd remained quiet. Some hope began to sparkle inside Katsu.

"How do you know that you have been more successful than us?" someone from the crowd shouted. Yes, good question, how does he know?

Katsu couldn't help but smile a little. "First, because most of you want me dead. If I haven't been successful, than you wouldn't see me as a threat. Second, I know that you vampires have a habit of erasing people's memories. The fact that I'm a vampire hunter and still standing here with my memory intact shows that I have been able to come closer to Anju than any of you."

The crowd remained silent. _Yes, I'm getting there. _He leaned his arm on the defendants table and his chin his palm.

"You have something I want, and I have something you want." Katsu said, he was feeling more confident now. "You have my freedom and life, while I have information on how to get closer Anju Maaka."

Katsu looked at the crowd, hoping for some agreement. He could swear he saw a couple of nods here and there.

"What makes you think we simply won't torture the information out of you?" Elda said with an incredulous smile. "We could stretch you until you tell us everything you know."

"Then I would simply lie and Anju would end up hating whoever takes my advice." Katsu quickly replied.

"I'm your best shot at winning Anju's heart gentlemen." Katsu said to the crowd. "The fact that I still have all of my memories is proof enough that Anju trusts me, a human."

"What makes you think Anju trusts you?" Elda challenged him.

"I got caught by you guys because I attempted to seduce Anju Maaka, you said it yourself. The fact that I still have my memories is proof enough." Katsu said with a small smile. _I've won this! Just a little more…_

"Who wants him dead!" Elda addressed the crowd. "A VAMPIRE HUNTER."

Only about one third of the crowd replied with a enthusiastic 'DEATH!'.

The other two thirds were single males. Vampires preferred to have a boy instead of a girl; boys mature and turn into vampires earlier than girls, with the exception of Anju of course.

Katsu let out a small sigh of relief. _Yes, I got the majority of the crowd. _

Elda gave the crowd a irritated and angry glare. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, the crowd favored Katsu.

"TAKE HIM AWAY!" she shouted angrily at Henry and Calera who still stood next to him as guards.

Trying to suppress a smug smile, Katsu was led out of the room by Anju's parents. He had hope now. _I'm not save yet, by at least I've bought himself some time. And U;ve got the crowd with me._

_

* * *

_

Sorry that this one took so long, but there were just so many things going on that chapter 24 just got pushed further back. I could have uploaded this chapter days earlier, but I can't see to upload documents with my new internet connection...so I'm outside again, intercepting some random wireless signal that allows me to upload documents. I will have chapter 25 done soon (maybe a couple of days...)

Two more weeks until school starts...I better enjoy the last two weeks of true holiday before the diploma program starts. sigh...

Thanks for reading!


	25. Chapter Twenty Five Katsu's Feelings

**Chapter 25 – Katsu's Feelings**

Henry and Calera led Katsu down the corridor, and then turning to the left. The whole time Katsu was observing, looking for anything that could help him escape the place. He had won the majority of the crowd, but that doesn't mean it gave him the ticket out of here.

He made a mental note. _Turn left if I manage to break out._

They continued walking until they turned right and reached staircase. Henry grabbed the torch that was hanging from the wall and lit it using his organic cape. Another ability a vampire had that Katsu wasn't aware of. He couldn't help but continue to be amazed.

They walked down the flight of staircases in complete silence. Katsu decided to simply shut up, hoping Henry and Calera might put in a good word for him with the crowd. He knew that simply winning the crowd wasn't going to guarantee a way out. From what he has seen, the crowd seemed to fear Elda, and Elda wanted him dead.

They reached the cellar and opened a cage and pushed Katsu in. He stumbled in to find that the cell was dirtier than any place he had ever been in.

"You sure don't tidy up your basements huh." Katsu commented while trying to make out whatever his eyes could see.

To his surprise, neither Henry nor Calera responded. Both remained silent and stood there, apparently thinking. Katsu began to worry that they might kill him right there. After all, he was partially responsible for whatever condition their daughter is in right now.

After some more minutes of silence, Henry finally spoke. "If we release you, can you help our daughter recover?"

Katsu's eyes lit up. He felt overjoyed. A window of opportunity. _Lucky!_

"Of course I can help her" he simply replied. He could think of nothing else to add. _Better play it safe and simply say what gets me out fast and easy. _

Calera let out a frustrated sigh and shoved Henry to the side. She gave Katsu an annoyed glare.

"Look human boy," she began. She obviously wasn't fond of Katsu. "Here's the deal: we let you out, you help Anju recover and afterwards we erase your memory."

Katsu heard from his grandfather about vampires erasing the memories of their victims. When he had nothing to do, he had thought long and hard about it. To him, losing one's memory would be like losing oneself. The current memories one has, the memories one had just acquired, are all part of the current consciousness. The consciousness that one is right now. The person one is right now. Losing a single memory would be changing something to one's personality, past and being. Losing even a single memory would be like losing oneself, because it is because of that memory that you are who you are right now. In a sense, if that memory is gone, the you, you are right now would have never existed because the memory that was responsible for forming this you is gone and you are someone else, even if the memory was gained just moments ago.

Katsu had absolutely no intention of being someone else. Much less forgetting Anju. For a moment he thought about agreeing to the deal and then running away before they could erase his memories.

Even a liar had his pride.

Or maybe he loved Anju just too damn much.

Without much thinking, Katsu quickly replied. Not that there was much thinking to do. "Cut the erase memory part and you've got yourself a deal" he said with a small smile.

Looking at it, agreeing to the deal and then running away would be the logical decision.

Oh yes, pride had its price.

Or it was pure stupidity.

Without another word, Calera turned around and went up the stairs. Henry quickly followed. Katsu was left alone in his cell. He wasn't scared in the near complete darkness, but he did feel nervous.

With a tired sigh he began to explore his small cell, which he quickly found out was the only one in the whole cellar and it was smack right in the middle of it.

He looked up at the walls and discovered the only reason why he could see anything was because of the small window at the very top of the wall. The moonlight was especially strong tonight.

He found himself in the cleanest spot in the dirty cell and sat down, leaning against the bars of the cell. He drew out his phone and went to his contact list. To his own surprise, he didn't feel exited. He felt quite depressed. _Depressed about what, _he wondered. He then suddenly felt a sense of loss. No, it was more of a sense of failure.

_Anju…_

There was a sudden sadness in his chest. He couldn't explain it himself. Suddenly it was simply there. He put his forehead into his palm, bit his lower lip and tightly shut his eyes. Tears started to flow down his cheeks. He stopped biting his lower lip and cried openly. It has been a long time since he has done that.

"Anju…Anju…Anju…" he whispered to himself.

He couldn't quite explain to himself what was happening to him. Suddenly there was just this sadness in his chest and he needed to cry it out.

_Anju…_

He felt a sense of failure. He felt a sense of loss.

He dialed.

He waited.

The signal was only one bar.

The phone couldn't connect.

With a sigh, Katsu closed his phone and simply sat there. He wiped the tears away with the shirt he was wearing.

He then felt a sense of frustration overcome him. And it was not because the phone couldn't connect.

Katsu gritted his teeth and wanted to smash his phone on the ground in frustration.

He then let out a long sigh and simply stared at the ground for a while. His mind felt slow and glued together, drenched in sadness. He shook his head and sat up. _I need to live. _

He walked around the cell and shook every bar that formed the cell, hoping to find an extremely rusty and to somehow break it.

From what he could make out, the prison was rather old. A classic European prison that he knew from books, movies and manga. He heard of rapists, sex offenders, drug dealers and all sorts of other criminals breaking out of prisons with state-of-the-hard security technologies. It shouldn't be too hard for a teenager to break out of a prison from the medieval times.

_Time is a prison's greatest enemy, _he remembered from watching a documentary. _They have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year to find the weak spot in the system. It's just a matter of time before the in-mates find another weak spot in either the security schedule or structure design. _

He finished examining the cell. He had concluded that there was no way out and the door was locked solid. _Probably a bat holding the lock together. _

Nevertheless, Katsu decided to try to break open the cell door with the most primitive method known to man: brute force.

He stepped back to the furthest corner of the cell, ran up the cell door and rammed his shoulder into the iron bar door.

It hurt like hell.

The door didn't budge.

Katsu groaned in pain.

He slid down and sat on the ground, leaning against the metal door and feeling the pain. A complete solid door would have hurt less.

"Why, someone is eager to get out" an amused voice said from behind him.

Katsu bit down on his lower lip to keep himself from screaming like a little girl and slowly turned around to see who was behind him. It was the girl with the two large buns that he saw in the courtroom.

It was Yuriya Tachibana.

She looked at the freaked out Katsu and then the cell phone that was next to him. She couldn't help but smile a little, because she knew what it felt like to be in that cage.

"That won't work" she said and pointed at the cell phone that was next to Katsu. "The vampires have surrounded the entire building with a barrier. No cell phone signal can penetrate it."

Having calmed down with Tachibana's rather casual attitude, Katsu gave her a startled look. "Who are you?"

"I'm Yuriya Tachibana." Tachibana answered with a slight hint of amusement in her voice.

"I suppose you already know who I am." Katsu said almost soberly. He didn't like the feeling of him knowing nobody and everybody knowing him.

"Yes." Tachibana replied and a silence settled between the two. Katsu considered asking her what she was doing down here, but decided to let her do the talking first. Perhaps she will reveal it herself what her business is.

"That's quite a show you've put up in the courtroom." Tachibana said. "No easy task escaping a death sentence from Elda."

"Why, thank you." Katsu replied with obvious fakes politeness.

"But you only managed to convince the young males, which make up around two thirds of the entire crowd. The other one third is the ladies, and they want you dead." Tachibana said and looked at Katsu. "You may have dodged the death sentence for now, but sooner or later they will execute you."

Katsu raised an eyebrow, he began to worry. _Don't tell me in vampire society, the females are more dominant. _Not that Katsu was sexist; having females have more power obviously was a problem for his escape.

"What do you mean?" Katsu asked, looking intently at Tachibana.

"Right now, the vampires are debating your fate." Tachibana explained. "Every vampire in the entire house is in the room, each having chosen a side and debating whether or not to execute you immediately."

_That's good to know, _Katsu thought. "And you said I will die anyway?"

Tachibana nodded. "You have a couple of months to live. Years if you're lucky."

"They are gonna debate for _months_?"

Tachibana nodded again. "Vampires are solitary creatures. They spend most of their lives living alone. Meaning they can do whatever they want whenever they want. Hence making nearly all of them quite stubborn and narrow minded, all of them want to it to have it their way. Simply said, they don't like to compromise because most of the time they don't have anybody to argue a decision over with."

"But if I've got the majority of the crowd, why do I still die?" Katsu asked, almost afraid of hearing the answer but having to hear it nevertheless.

"It's actually quite similar to human society." Tachibana said with a sad smile on her face. Katsu wondered what happened. "In human society," Tachibana continued. "or at least in human families, the females always win an argument because they can talk much more than the males and can overpower them with their talking. Furthermore, just like human females, they can hold away the sex, so sooner or later; the males will have to give in."

Katsu couldn't help but frown. It was all but too true. He had never won an argument against his female classmates.

"Plus, the females have Elda on their side, the most powerful vampire among us." Tachibana added.

_That's awfully helpful, _Katsu thought soberly.

"So how long do I have?" Katsu asked solemnly. One could say that he now realized the full depth and desperation of the situation he was in.

"A couple of months I'd say." Tachibana replied.

Katsu thought for a moment, something didn't make sense.

"Wait…" he began. "I saw that there were quite a lot of females in the courtroom, why are the male vampires so eager for Anju?"

"They suspect that Anju can bear children." Tachibana replied with a chuckle. "Anju's mother was one of the only vampires in the last hundred years to have children. Since Anju turned into a full vampire, she has been at the top of the male vampire's targeting list."

Katsu understood perfectly. _Fertility huh…_

"So what are you going to do?" Tachibana asked.

Surprised at her question, Katsu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do to save your own life?"

"I don't know." Katsu answered with a sigh. "Simply wait I suppose."

"Wait for what?"

"A miracle."

A silence settled between the two again. Neither knew what to say. Katsu concluded that the chances of his escape are close to null. Might as well simply wait and see what going to happen. And hasn't even gotten the first wish on his list fulfilled yet.

Eventually it occurred to Katsu why Tachibana wasn't debating, but was down here in the cellar with him.

"What do you want?" he asked her solemnly.

"Nothing really." Tachibana replied. "I've been ordered to keep you alive until they have made they have made their decision."

"You don't get to have a say in the debate?"

Tachibana shook her head and let out a sigh. "I'm a half vampire. They don't see me as a lower person."

"Oh." _One of her parents must have been a human then, and the other a vampire._

_Just like me and Anju…well almost, except for the marriage part…and kids._

It was then that Katsu's stomach growled. Henry's tea hasn't lasted very long, and Katsu didn't even finish the rock hard bread. Mostly because the break looked so old, Katsu became afraid of food poisoning.

Tachibana raised an eyebrow. "You're hungry I presume?"

Katsu nodded with a sigh. "Vampires don't give me much to eat."

Tachibana reached into her bag pack and drew out a bento. Katsu never noticed that she had a bag with her.

She handed him the bento along with a pair of chopsticks. Katsu ate like a starved wolf. Within minutes he cleaned the box and wondered if there was seconds. As if reading his mind, Tachibana drew out a second box that was supposed to be for her. Reading Katsu's body language (his face didn't show it, but his subconscious gestures made it obvious), she decided to hand him her bento. Katsu finished that one even faster.

He handed her back the bento boxes and mumbled a 'thanks'. He then resumed to his previous position of leaning against the bars, waiting for something to happen.

Tachibana looked at him with intriguing eyes. _I can see why Anju fell for him, _she thought with a chuckle.

"Do you love her?" Tachibana decided to ask after some more minutes of thoughtful silence.

Katsu turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "You don't think of me as a vampire hunter that tried to abuse, kidnap, harm and take advantage of Anju?" he asked with slight amusement in his voice.

Tachibana chuckled lightly. "I know that you're good person and wouldn't be able to do all of that."

Katsu frowned. After hearing all the insults for various vampires, it felt strange to hear something positive from a person, half vampires included.

"Oh yeah? How do you know that?"  
"After years of sucking blood for hundreds of people," Tachibana explained. "it gets easy to roughly judge whether or not a person is bad, good or a confusing mix between the two at first sight."

"And you think I'm a good person?" Katsu asked skeptically.

"Maybe not entirely pure and good, but not a bad person. And most certainly not the type of person who would charm Anju and take advantage of her, or kidnap her."

Katsu frowned and then half nodded in agreement.

"So do you love her?" Tachibana asked again. "Do you love Anju?"

Katsu closed his eyes and pictures Anju in his mind. He smiled. There was no doubt about it. "Yeah, I love her" he answered in almost a whisper.

Tachibana sat down, crossed her legs, rested her arm on her thigh and her chin on her palm. She gave Katsu a thoughtful look.

"Say," she began. "What do you exactly see in her? I mean, to me, she seems like a really plain girl who is cold, quiet, has no emotions and just can't be considered 'cute' by human teenagers."

"I've bitten dozens of human girls who I think are more appealing, and enticing than Anju" she added.

Katsu let out a thoughtful sigh, then answered.

"I'm not really sure myself you know. There was just something that drew me to her. Her emotionless expression seemed to calm and peaceful, her voice was soothingly emotionless. Even though she almost never smiles, but when she does, it is special. I can tell. Her peaceful emotionless state just makes me want to be with her, make her smile."

There was more Katsu wanted to say, but decided not to go that far. _No need to make her think that I'm a pervert and then risk getting knocked out again._ He almost wanted to go on how voluptuous he found Anju, how he felt drawn to her eyes, her legs and waist. How he desired to feel Anju lips.

Tachibana, listening the whole time, couldn't help but smile all little. Katsu reminded her of her father; whom she never met.

"You really must love her a lot" she said when Katsu was done and melancholically stared at the ground again.

"Yeah…" Katsu says with a sad smile and then frowned. "But there doesn't seem to be much of a future for me."

He let out a long sigh. "I'll wait, wait for a miracle to happen."

--

_A couple of islands away_

Anju was on a train, tightly holding Boogie-kun, heading to the same train station that Katsu, Henry and Elda got off of. She was looking out of the window, feeling nothing, but seeing everything that the darkness can hide from the human eye.

Next to her was Ren, who was flirting with the girl sitting in front of him. He had 'asked' Bridget to stay at the Maaka mansion with Rei. He gentle stroked the girl's hair and flashed her a charming smile. Old habits die hard.

Anju looked away from the window and looked down at her feet. To her own surprise, she didn't feel exited or anything like that. She didn't feel sad, anxious or even overjoyed. No. She didn't feel anything, or more she didn't know what to feel anymore. So many things happened so quickly.

Although, deep inside she did feel relieved that Katsu was alive, and Boogie-kun knew that.

_Katsu…_She wondered what she would do when she got to the Elder's House. Although she was sure that she wasn't going to let him die. No, he had done too much to simply let him die off like that. There were too many things she wanted to talk to him about, yet at the same time, she had no idea what she would say when she would see him.

_Katsu…_

She let out a sigh. _Katsu…_His name wouldn't leave her head.

It was midnight. 4 more hours until the train would arrive at the station. 4 more hours until she would get to see Katsu again, presumably the vampires haven't acted swiftly and killed him straight away.

Anju felt an aching longing in her bosom. _Katsu…_

Four more hours.

* * *

Sorry for the delay, but there were several reasons for the delay. First, I knew I somewhat screwed up the last chapter, so I decided to take a small break before writing chapter 25. Second, I've decided to start reading The Huxtable series. 'First Comes Marriage' is a really good romance. I highly recommend it!

Originally, I planned to finish Anju's Chapters before school started. But now I've realized that to give the story the ending that it deserves, I can't possibly rush it. Plus, this has become something very personal to me. I want to prove to myself that I can finish a 'major' piece of work and give it a grand ending. You could say that I want to proof to myself that I can be a writer. Preferably a good writer (lol).

I know the last chapter felt rushed and that this chapter wasn't didn't pack much action either, but I wanted to give Katsu more depth. Starting from the next chapter, things will be heading towards the finale!

Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter Twenty Six Happiness

**Chapter 26 – Happiness and Confessions**

The train finally arrived at its final station. Slowly it came into the station until it came to a complete stop. It was a dark night. The moonlight was fairly weak. Two mysterious figures got off the train, unlike their parents, they had money to pay for the tickets.

Yes, Ren does somehow manage to get money from his biting targets. Sometimes even before he bites them.

Anju stepped onto the platform and looked around. This was all new to her; she had never before been in this part of Japan. Not that she needed to, since she was an adult, she could chose whether or not to attend the annual vampire meetings. Obviously, she chose not to.

"Which way?" she asked Ren while observing the surroundings. There was something extremely peaceful and calming about the night. To her own surprise, she felt herself relax. There was something about the night, the air and the surroundings that made her feel at ease. She almost believed that everything was fine.

Ren let out a sigh and pointed towards the dark forest. "It should be that way."

Ren himself had only come to the Elder's House one time so far. About a year ago, he was forced to attend at least one meeting to register his marriage with Bridget (much to Ren's dismay of course).

They began walking down the exact same path that Katsu, Elda, Calera and Henry had walked just about two nights ago. Neither of the siblings said much. Both had too much to worry about.

For once in her life, Anju had no idea what to do. She didn't even know for sure if Katsu hasn't been killed yet. And even if he was still alive when she got the Elder' House, what was she going to do? Katsu was a vampire hunter, yet she couldn't get herself to believe that Katsu has tried to hurt. She knew she loved him, or at least was extremely attracted to him, but she didn't know what to do. She was feeling the strangest mix of emotions.

Anju let out a sigh while looking at the ground, deep in thought. _What should do I do? Katsu…Katsu…_

Seeing how his sister was so agitated, Ren decided to probe around a little bit. Anything to get the thought of the consequences off his mind. He didn't even want to imagine what Elda would do to him if she found out that he was the one who told Anu that Katsu was alive. And even if nobody told her, he could be only possible suspect. He would certainly not push the blame onto his wife, Bridget. Ironically, even a player like Ren had his loyalty and devotion.

"Do you really love him?" he asked Anju with an almost warm smile on his face. He couldn't help but feel a sort of smug joy when seeing his sister in this state of agitation. Without realizing it, he was becoming approving of Katsu.

"I don't know." Anju replied vehemently. She really did not know. She felt quite confused. She wasn't sure what to feel. She felt a confusing mix of sadness, joy and anxiety. She also felt quite melancholic. She did not feel overjoyed when she found out that Katsu was alive. She didn't feel anything. She could not quite understand it herself

To Boogie-kun's surprise, Anju did not feel any sort of anxiety to go and met Katsu. _Perhaps she is still hurt by the fact that Katsu is a vampire hunter._

_We have to keep going Anju, be strong, _he thought to her.

Anju's only reply was a small smile.

The pair, plus one serial killer doll, continued to walk towards the Elder's House.

One could say that Katsu had it coming for him.

--

Katsu was sitting his small cell, with Tachibana guarding him close by. Neither was saying anything. Katsu felt surprisingly calm. He didn't exactly feel afraid of the possible fate that would await him once the vampires have finished debating. In fact, he felt rather depressed. So many things yet to do, so many placed he wanted to go to. _God damn it._

He let out sigh. He wished Jun was here. He wished any of the vampire hunter were here. He wished that Tachibana would simply leave him alone for a while as he was at the edge of crying again. He wanted so much, yet so little. He thought of grandpa. Ironically, he wasn't mad at him. In fact, he felt quite grateful that the old geezer has send him to Tokyo, for if he didn't do that, he would have never met Anju.

Katsu felt a lump in his throat. He was trying his best not to let the tears fall. _Godamnit, godamnit…_

Tachibana sighed too and gave Katsu a rueful look. He reminded her of the father she could barely remember, also a human. She felt almost happy for Anju. Happy for her that she met such a good person. But, _almost._ Her last memory of Anju was that she had looked her into a cell and threatened to erase her memory.

Another hour passed. Both had long gotten used to the unnatural silence. Tachibana considered going upstairs to check how the debating was going. But she then decided against it. No need to upset the vampires who were already looking down on her because she was a half vampire.

She checked her observation bat that she had placed in front of the main door. The vampires had also ordered her to keep a watch on the door for any late coming vampires. It was a job that she hated with a passion, because observing with bats was twice as draining for her as a full, 'normal' vampire.

Suddenly Tachibana stood up. Two people were at the front door. She couldn't see who they were because her powers weren't strong enough to get a clearer image from the bat. Her eyes went wide. One shorter person and one taller. She nearly gasped in surprise. _No, it can't be…_

A small smile played on the corner of her lips for a short moment.

Abruptly she stood up and began walking up the flight of stairs. _It can't be her…_

Katsu lazily raised an eyebrow and stood up too. "Where are you going?" he asked her with no apparent interest in his voice. Yes, even in his depressed state, Katsu still had a little hope.

Without answering, Tachibana walked up the stairs and soon was out of sight. Katsu smiled and drew out his cell phone.

Still no signal.

He began to make attempts to shake lose the rusty metal bars of his cage.

--

Almost jogging, Tachibana hurried to the door. She felt almost exited. Almost that is. She arrived at the door and took a deep breath. _Stay calm, stay calm…_

Slowly and carefully, she opened the door.

She looked at someone who had changed a lot since she last saw her. The last she Anju, she was still a child with childlike features. Now, Anju had transformed into a young woman with curves and every other desirable feature that a man could wish for. _She has changed so much…_

Tachibana swallowed and managed to bring out a small smile. "Hello, Anju-chan" she greeted Anju with obvious nervousness in her voice.

"Hello…" Anju replied coldly and with no emotion. "Where is he?" she asked solemnly and with no emotion. Only Anju was capable of asking a question in such a tone.

"What do you mean?" Tachibana replied. Nope, she did not like Anju very much.

She then looked past Anju and discovered that Ren was behind her. And he did not look very happy. He gave Tachibana a cold glare that send shivers down her spine.

Anju's glare wasn't any friendlier either.

"Oh, you mean _him_, don't you?" Tachibana said with the slightest hint of smugness in her voice. She knew that she was playing with fire, but anything to get a little payback for getting locked in the Maaka's cellar.

Tachibana let out a nervous chuckle. "Follow me," she said and led Anju and Ren down the corridor and towards Katsu.

Yes, Katsu had it coming for him.

--

The group of 2 and a half vampires, plus half a human, walked down the corridor and then down the stairs that would lead them to the cellar, and Katsu cage. With every step, Anju began to feel more nervous. She was about to see Katsu again. Katsu alive. After all the depressing news from Elda before, this was still a bit hard to believe. Anju suddenly felt an aching longing in a bosom. _Katsu…_

They reached the cellar and discovered that Katsu was making futile attempts at shaking the bars lose. He looked quite desperate.

He suddenly stopped when he heard Tachibana walking down the stairs. He assumed that the other footsteps he heard were his executioners. _This is it?_

A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Back again?" he asked with a laugh and without turning around.

"Someone is here to see you." Tachibana replied with almost a kind smile on her face.

Katsu quickly wiped his face and turned around.

His mind went blank.

His jaw dropped slightly.

His eyes almost wouldn't accept the patterns of light that it was receiving. _Anju?_

Anju stood before him, eyes wide. Wide with many emotions mixed together.

A sudden wave of relieve and joy overwhelmed her heart. _Katsu…Katsu is…_

Anju managed to form a small smile and her eyes started to swell up with tears. Uncontrollably, the tears started to roll down her check. Her usual melancholic eyes were filled with joy. Her smile widened, more tears flowed. _Katsu…_

In daze, she walked closer to Katsu cage. Tachibana loosened her control over the bats that were keeping the lock of the cage intact. The door quickly fell open.

Anju walked into the cage and closer to Katsu. Her arms fell to her sides and without noticing, she dropped Boogie-kun. Tears were still flowing. _Katsu…Katsu…Katsu…_Never before had she felt such immeasurable joy before. Never before had she experienced such a great amount of happiness. Never before, had she felt so much love.

She was very close to him now. She could hear Katsu's slowly, steady breathing. Her face was almost touching his chest. She inhaled his scent. It fired up her senses. Yes, it really was him.

Without any warning, she wrapped her warms around him and buried her face in his chest, inhaling in scent. Yes, it really was Katsu.

Anju felt whole, safe, and most importantly, happy.

Almost startled by her reaction, Katsu didn't know how to react at first. The very moment he saw Anju, he thought that there would be some kind of punishment waiting for him. He never guessed that, well, Anju would get so emotion. He didn't know how to react, so he decided to follow his natural instincts.

"Anju…" Katsu murmured and wrapped his arms around her too. He just knew, in this single moment in time, they were together, loving with no bounds. Even if he were to die after this moment, he would gladly go without any complaints, for he knew just for this single moment in time, with all the laws of reality gone, he loved her with all his heart and maybe, just maybe, she loved him too.

He buried his nose in her silvery tresses and absorbed her scent. What he sweet scent it was. He felt warm and happy.

"Katsu…Katsu…" Anju sobbed into his chest. "I..I…" _I love you. _The words never came out. Something inside her was stopped her from saying these three words that so desperately wanted to get out, and that Katsu so much wanted to hear, even though action spoke louder than words. She did not quite understand why.

Ren smiled and folded his arms across his chest. For some reason, he felt quite glad to see the two together like this. To his own surprise, he did not feel any sort of brotherly protectiveness over Anju right now. One could almost assume that he was font of Katsu.

He turned around, glared at Tachibana for the second time and motioned for both of them to go upstairs. _We should leave them alone._ Ren let out a low chuckle.

Tachibana gave Ren an annoyed look but eventually nodded. She understood what he was trying to say without using any words. _I hope Anju knows what she is doing…_

Silently, Tachibana and Ren retreated and left the cellar.

Anju and Katsu were alone now.

Anju continued to cry out of joy, pouring out her heart, knowing that the moment wouldn't last long and reality would soon hit them again. There were things to be done. Things to be talked about that were abruptly ended.

A few minutes later, Anju's calmed and loosened her grip on Katsu. She didn't want to let go, but she knew that there were matters to be solved.

Eventually, she let go him and took a step back.

Katsu knew there was something coming for him.

He did not feel nervous or anything. In fact he felt quite calm. "Anju, I..I'm…" he began to say like someone who had whole heartedly accepted whatever fate had in store for them.

He looked at Anju, who was looking at the ground, he couldn't see her eyes. He decided to shut up and wait until Anju said something. He continued to look at Anju and then smiled. He was ready. Whatever Anju was going to do to him, he was going to accept it whole heartedly.

Anju was looking at the ground, trying to calm herself, collecting her thoughts. There was so much she wanted to ask Katsu. So much, yet so little she wanted to tell him. But all of them for trivial compared to the one question Katsu hasn't answered before her grandmother interrupted. _Why?_

"Why?" Anju asked in almost a whisper. "Why did you…"

Katsu sighed and thoughtfully looked at the ground. He knew what Anju was asking. The exact same thing she asked the last time he saw her. _What should I say?_

Truth to be told, Katsu was sick of lying and hiding behind lies. _The truth…just the truth_

Anju took half a step forward, narrowing the gap between them. Her eyes were locked to his, expecting an answer.

"Anju, I-" Katsu began to explain when Anju slapped him with all her might.

In almost a daze, Katsu's face was facing the side of the cage. _Yeah, I guess I deserved that…_

Anju slapped him again, this time using her left hand. Katsu's face was facing the other direction now.

"Anju…" Katsu began again when Anju cut him off by slapping him for the third time.

He rapidly turned his head to face Anju. "Anju, please ju-"

Anju slapped him for the fourth time.

There was anger in her eyes, all the joy was gone. She knew that she needed to erase Katsu's memories, yet she couldn't bring herself to do it but to slap Katsu over and over again for what he has done. There was pain in her eyes too. Pain not all caused by what Katsu has done, but her own feelings.

When Anju raised her hand to slap him for the fifth time, Katsu quickly grabbed both of her wrists and drew her closer to him, effectively stopping her from slapping him. Yes, four times were quite painful.

Katsu quickly took action and did the only thing that he assumed would calm down Anju. He quickly put his around her.

"Please Anju, just let me explain," he whispered into her ear and then let go of her again.

"I know I have hurt you in every possible way, and what I've done is unforgivable, and I will face the punishment, but there are reasons. I was send here by my grandfather to collect DNA samples from vampires. Some blood, hair, skin." Katsu explained. He paused for a second, trying to read Anju's reaction. Her face had her usual emotionless expression again.

"I could have done all of that when the vampire hunters shot a load of anesthetics into you," Katsu explained. "but I didn't collect the samples. I wanted to go back home. I wanted to go back home to my friends. But didn't. I decided to stay. I could have gone back home a long time ago Anju. All of this, could have been easily avoided. I decided to stay. I only had one reason to do that."

He took a deep breath and looked at her with loving eyes. "I stayed because I love you Anju. I stayed because I wanted to be with you, come closer to you. The moment I met you, I knew I couldn't stay away from you."

He let out a sigh and smiled warmly again. "With all my heart, I love you Anju."

There. He had said what he needed to say. The whole, bare truth. Now it was all up to Anju.

Anju's eyes had again lost their usual melancholic mood. She didn't know how to react to Katsu explanation and second confession. She knew that she loved him too, she knew she wanted to be together with him. Feel his warmth and absorb his scent. Yes, she wanted him, yet the fact that he a vampire hunter…

Wasn't there something fundamentally wrong with a vampire and a human to be together in the first place?

She felt an aching desire in her heart. Her heart wanted to return Katsu's feelings, yet her the things she had been thought since she was little went against her own feelings. Anju didn't know what to do.

_Screw all the vampire hunter shit_, Boogie-kun thought to her from the place where she dropped him. _He loves you, you love him and that's all that matters._

Anju dropped to her knees and began to cry again. This time however, she did not cry out of joy nor did she cry because she felt sad or anguish. She did not know why. The tears simply started flowing again. Yes, indeed it was a difficult time for Anju. Perhaps she cried because she couldn't accept Katsu's feelings for her even though she knew she felt the same way for him.

Katsu went down to his knees too and put his arms around Anju. He didn't know what to do. Nothing was needed to say.

Outside, Tachibana and Ren had their ears pressed against the door. Both were half smiling, half grinning.

"Why," Tachibana said. "I would have never guessed that Anju-chan could get so emotional, and that with a human."

With a small frown, Ren leaned against the wall and sighed. He glanced over to Tachibana. "Where are the other vampires?"

Tachibana then told Ren about Katsu's trial and how he managed to buy himself some time with some clever arguing and that all the vampires are debating Katsu's fate right now. She has been the only one left out and thus was assigned to take care of Katsu and guard the main door.

After Tachibana finished explaining, Ren smiled slightly and thoughtfully stared off into space.

"So…" he said after a while. "where are the holes in the barrier?"

* * *

Sorry for the long delay, but school has started and right at the very beginning, things are starting to become difficult. As you can probably tell now, the ending is near. I will try to keep up the pace with 1 chapter per week, but now that I've started the IB Diploma...oh man, the first week just ended and in one day I got more homework than I did in 2 weeks at my old school (I'm not kidding). Still got 60 pages to read about World War One...

This is a chapter I've been looking foward to write to since I started this series. Hope it didn't dissapoint!

Now it's back to reading about Russians, Germans, French, Italians, Balkans...

Thanks for reading!


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven Escape

**Chapter 27 – Escape**

"Where are the holes in the barrier?" Ren asked after thinking for a little while. A small smile formed on his lips.

Tachibana's eyed widened. She gave Ren a look of disbelief. _No…_

"A-are you are not planning to…" Tachibana didn't complete the sentence.

Ren nodded. "Where are the holes in the barrier?" he asked again.

"You'll get killed." Tachibana said with a frown. "No human has ever escaped this mansion before."

"I betrayed them once, I can do it again." Ren said with a shrug. "I helped Karin escape and I managed to stay alive."

"But this time it's different." Tachibana argued back after a moment of thought. She did not like Ren's intentions. If Katsu escapes, she will be the one to blame. "This time it's about Anju…and the vampire hunter"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "How is it different this time?"

Tachibana opens her mouth to answer and then closes it again. No, there really wasn't much of a different from last time. Only this time it wasn't a vampire who was captured.

Tachibana sighed and then leaned against the wall. Should she really help Anju escape with her love after what she had done to her? Wouldn't she get killed if she helped Anju and Katsu escape? But didn't the entire vampire community see her as a lower being anyway? _I'll get killed…_

As if reading Tachibana's thoughts, Ren smiled. Yes, he was good at reading female facial expressions. To him, nearly every female, be it human or vampire, was like an open book.

"Afraid that you will get killed?" he asked Tachibana with the slightest hint of amusement in his voice.

Tachibana took a sharp breath, surprised by how clearly Ren could read her. She took a defensive pose, she could sense that Ren was quite the womanizer.

"Of course not," she said indignantly. "Why would they kill me?"

Ren let out a low chuckle. "So where are the holes in the barrier?"

"Why would I tell you that?" Tachibana replied, knowing that she wouldn't have a choice but to tell Ren. _He could simply knock me out and make a run for it with Katsu…_

"Because I could knock you out right now and make a run for it with Katsu over my shoulders." Ren quickly replied with a devilish smile. "The vampires would blame you and they would simply kill you as a punishment for letting me and Anju get away with Katsu."

Yes, Tachibana had predicted it perfectly.

Tachibana scowled at him before sighing. _Might as well tell him and hope it goes alright for me…_

"There is a big hole north of here" Tachibana explained with a sigh. "Few humans live north of the Elder's House, so the vampires have mostly concentrated on strengthening the barrier south of here, close to the train station."

"See, that wasn't that hard, was it?" Ren said with a small victorious smile. He simply loved it when he got it his way.

Tachibana scowled again. She hated Ren's attitude. "Once they are at the hole, it will only be a couple of hours before they realize that Katsu is gone" she said. "There are only about four more hours till dawn breaks."

Ren didn't reply, but instead started thoughtfully at the ground. He didn't know what to do. Should he go into the conference room and tell Henry and Calera that he and Anju were here? No that would simply cause too much commotion and their entire plan might get revealed. Time was running out.

This time, it was Tachibana's turn to read body language.

She smiled. "You might get killed" she said almost coldly. "If they find out that you betrayed them a second time, they won't simply overlook it like last time. It is highly likely that they will find you and kill you."

She looked at Ren, expecting a reply. He stayed silent. She decided to continue. "There now less than four hours till dawn, you won't be able to get far without being burned by the sun, although past the barrier hole there is thick forest that might protect you from the sun." Tachibana continued to explain with a serious look. "This time there are a lot of young male vampires involved too, all eager to mate with Anju, willing to do anything for a chance. There are vampires from all parts of Asia too, you won't stand a chance."

It then from her own speech that Tachibana realized just how dangerous the situation was for not only Ren, but for her too. Sure she would get killed, but she heard that the vampires from northern China and Thailand have very effective torturing techniques. Not to mention the sheer number of vampires in the debating room.

Ren's face changed from looking thoughtful to looking grim. It didn't sound good to him. Basically what Tachibana was saying that he and Anju had only four hours left. And they couldn't wait till the next night because their scent was all over the place. Yes, for once, Ren began to grow nervous. _Shit…what should I do?_

With every passing minute, Tachibana grew more nervous too. She didn't want to risk having a vampire coming out of the debate to check on her and Katsu and discovering that Anju and Ren were here. That would lead to lot of trouble for her.

"Whatever plan you've got, you better do it fast." Tachibana said with urgency in her voice. "They might come and check on Katsu. Maybe they are even close to finishing the debate."

Ren stayed silent. He was thinking. Hard. The situation turned out to be far more difficult than he anticipated. He only planned as far as simply doing what Anju wanted him to do. Heck, he didn't even know yet if Anju wanted to rescue Katsu. But judging from her hard she was hit by his death, she probably will want to be with him, providing that Katsu can charm her enough He never thought as far as to actually _how_ to get Katsu out in once piece.

Ren continued to think. _There has got to be a way of getting out in one piece…I have the element of surprise with me…they don't know that Anju and I are here…Tachibana might tell them to save her own life…unless we take her with us…no too slow…the train station…_

…

_That's it!_

Ren looked up, there was the slightest hint if amusement in his eyes. Add in a little determination.

"I've got a plan," he said to Tachibana with a small smile. "You and I will act as a decoy by setting of the alarms where the barrier is the strongest while Anju and Katsu escape through the barrier hole." It was as simple as that. But then again, simplicity is usually the best.

Taken aback by Ren's plan to use her and him as a decoy, Tachibana gave him a skeptical, almost frowning look. Acting as a decoy sounded like 'getting caught and buying Katsu and Anju some time while getting killed' to her.

"You mean getting caught so that Anju and Katsu have a better chance at escaping?" she said incredulously. No, as much as Tachibana saw a good person in Katsu, she wasn't prepared to die for his freedom.

Ren half nodded. "Not necessarily get killed, I'll be there with you. And if you run fast enough you might escape too."

"What about you?" Tachibana asked.

"I know I can run fast enough"

Tachibana folded her arms around her chest and took a defensive pose. "Why should I risk my life for you Maakas? You threatened to erase my memory before."

Ren smiled. "If you don't corporate, I will simply knock you out, make a run for it with Anju and Katsu to the barrier hole and simply escape that way. You said it yourself that the other vampires don't observe the area around the hole very much. The Elders will blame you for letting me, Katsu and Anju escape and you will most likely face death. If you're lucky, a lot of pain instead."

"At least acting as a decoy with me, you have a better chance of survival." Ren added.

Tachibana scowled at him. "So I have no choice then huh."

"Exactly" Ren replied with a nod.

Tachibana thought for a moment and then sighed. She had no choice but to accept Ren's plan. And there was no way she could fight him either. One thing she hated about being half vampire. Full vampires always won against. Not that she ever fought a vampire before, she didn't dare, but she could judge from how skillfully many vampires control the bats.

"How will Anju know where the hole in the barrier is?" Tachibana asked. _Anju doesn't know where the hole is, it is her first time in this region of Japan._

"You could set up bat check points that she could follow." Ren quickly replied. "You know where the hole is."

"And I assume that you would leave me to die if I don't do it."

Ren nodded.

Tachibana scowled and then sighed. She felt sorry for herself. She had no idea how she got so deeply involved in such a conflict. All she ever wanted was to get the job quickly done and then go home. She really didn't know how. Just one hour ago she was guarding Katsu, looking forward to going home, and now this…

--

After Ren finalized his plans with Tachibana, he walked over to the closed door that lead to the cellar. He pressed his ears against the door to for any sort of 'activity' in the cellar. He couldn't hear anything.

Tachibana did it, with little success.

"Maybe they are having a silent emotional moment." Tachibana suggested with a shrug, momentarily forgetting that time is running out. "Maybe we should leave them alone for a little longer."

Ren shook his head. "There is no time for that. There is only three and a half hours left."

"Anju's and mine scent are all over the place." Ren added.

Tachibana knew that already. After all, she said so herself. She still was surprised at how Ren and Anju managed to arrive at the train station and cross the barrier at its strongest point unnoticed. But then again, there were a lot of things the vampires didn't share with her. _It has to be now…_

Ren sighed and for the first time in his life, he politely knocked on the door.

It felt weird alright. Never before had he done such a polite thing. There is a first time for everything.

Little to his surprise, nobody answered. A smirk spread across his lips. Tachibana had a vague idea of what he was thinking

Slowly he opened the door, and peaked it, trying to cause as little noise as possible.

He saw Anju on her knees. His eyes widened. But as his eyes very quickly adjusted, he could see that Katsu was on his knees too, with his arms around her.

Ren let out half a disappointed sigh.

Almost completely silently, Ren descended down the stairs, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Katsu, who was facing the door, looked up when he heard someone coming down. _What is going to happen?_

Ren gave Katsu an almost solemn look. "It's time to go."

Katsu almost let out a sigh and let go of Anju. Slowly he stood up, wondering if he should help Anju by lifting her up. Without a single word, Anju stood up, looking at the ground. Katsu couldn't see her eyes; they were hidden by her hair. He couldn't help but feel slightly glad about the situation. One could suppose that the fact that Katsu managed to keep his memory was something to be happy about.

Anju walked out of the cage and upstairs, completely forgetting about Boogie-kun. She needed time to think.

Ren gave Katsu a 'what the hell did you do to her?' look and Katsu shrugged in reply. He really didn't know.

Ren smiled and nearly gave him the thumbs up. He beckoned Katsu to follow him upstairs.

"I don't know what the hell you did, but good job." Ren muttered, while stopping to pick Boogie-kun up. He could sense that Anju was in a…different emotional state now. Not depressed anymore, but more agitated, which is quite an improvement. It was the nicest thing he ever said to any male, be it human or vampire.

"Thanks." Katsu replied with almost a sigh and followed Ren upstairs. This is where it really starts. _Am I going to escape?_

All three of them joined Tachibana who was waiting upstairs for them. Arms folded across her chest, she indeed looked discontent by the situation.

"We have an escape plan," Tachibana announced, looking at Katsu and Anju, not the least surprised to see Anju standing fairly close to Katsu, yet not touching him. "Ren and I will run towards the train station and set off the alarm where the barrier is the strongest." Tachibana explained and looked at the 'couple' for a reaction. Seeing how Katsu had more life in him than Anju, she decided to look at him.

"You and Anju will run north where the barrier is the weakest. There will be a large hole there, go through it and run as far as the sun will allow you." Tachibana explained to Katsu. "I have placed checkpoint bats along the way, guiding you to the hole, it should be too hard to find."

Katsu, who had been listening carefully to Tachibana's plan, or rather Ren's plan, nodded. "You're saying you and Ren will act as a decoy?"

Tachibana grimaced. Ren decided to step in and answer for her. "Yeah, so you better be grateful when we met up again."

Anju began to look up. She had heard everything. And she did not like the sound of it. Or at least did not like the part where Ren would put his neck on the line. She hadn't looked up because well, she was in a quite deep emotional state. But hearing the plan has put her back into reality. One could also say that Anju felt embarrassed after showing so much emotion to Katsu, someone outside her family.

Boogie-kun would have suggested to simply ignore everything and listen to her heart. He decided to stay quiet this time. It's time for Katsu to do his part. _Can't have him getting her without showing some wooing skills. _

"It's too close to dawn." Anju said with no emotion. "The sun will be up in about three hours."

Yes, vampires had a very good feeling for time, so that they could predict anytime when their biggest enemy would arise.

Tachibana let out a profound sigh. "It's almost time that they come and check on Katsu," she said. "Yours and Ren's scent is all over the place, it's just a matter of time before they notice that you two have been here and that will probably lead to Katsu being guarded by full vampires all the time. They will most likely set up some observation bats too."

"Time is running out little sister." Ren added. "We have to go now."

"Besides I'm sure Katsu here can protect you from a little sun." Tachibana said with half a smirk.

Anju managed not to blush; Katsu just got a whole lot of responsibility to worry about. He then glanced sideways to Anju. Yeah, it was going to be worth, it he supposed.

"Aren't you afraid that vampires will come and kill you once they have discovered that you acted as a decoy?" Katsu asked, concerned. He didn't want people to get _killed_ for his sake. Maybe hurt was better, but getting killed for his sake is just…It would be more guilt than he could cope with.

"You're girlfriend's brother isn't giving me much of a choice." Tachibana replied with a small frown and looked over to Ren who simply shrugged.

_Girlfriend…_that word hit Katsu…hard. He didn't know how to reply. Could he consider Anju to be his girlfriend after such an emotional moment? He quickly glanced over to Anju for any sign of…well something. It seems that Anju was blushing a bit. But besides that, her face looked quite solemn and emotionless.

Seeing how neither was replying, Tachibana half smirked, half smiled. Yes, she liked seeing Anju speechless.

Katsu was quite surprised by how Anju didn't say anything, which made it all the more confusing for him. _She didn't deny it…but she didn't confirm it either…_Katsu was thinking too much.

Anju breathed slowly and looked at her older brother Ren. Knowing his physical abilities, she was quite sure that he could outrun the other male vampires. Most of them were too old; others were far younger than him. Moreover, she knew that he had spent a lot of time running away from Bridged. He had good stamina. She knew she had little to worry about, yet he was risking so much for her that she couldn't help but start worrying before they were out of the house.

She walked over to Ren and hugged him. No words were needed. Ren smiled a little and patted her on the head. "It's alright, it's alright. Just go, I'll be fine."

_But will I be fine, _Tachibana thought to herself and glanced over to Katsu to look for any sort of reaction. He caught her glance and shrugged.

"Thank you…" Anju muttered.

Tachibana cleared her throat. "Ahem, we are really running out of time."

Anju let go of Ren and went back to stand next to Katsu, who was still thinking in circles. Guys think too much when it comes to girls…or vampires. To his own surprise, he felt really…well, comfortable being next to her.

"Ren and I will head out now," Tachibana explained. "You two give us about half an hour head start, so that we can trip the alarm when you're fairly close to the barrier hole."

"Alright." Katsu said with a nod. He didn't know what else to say. He got a strange sense that all of this was happening because of him. And yes, all of this was happening just because he was got involved. Strange how one person can cause such a long chain of events.

"Once you're out the barrier, run as fast as your legs will take you." Ren said. "You will have to make it to the thickest parts of the forest before you are safe from the sun."

Katsu nodded again. Ren gave Katsu a look that made him feel that his responsibility just doubled. Ren walked over and pressed Boogie-kun into Anju's arms. He did not like killer dolls.

There was a moment of silence.

"Let's go," Ren muttered and beckoned for Tachibana to unlock the front door. With an 'hmph' she let go of the bats and the door swung open. Katsu wondered if the entire mansion was held together by bats.

Without another word, Ren and Tachibana began to walk out of the door. Katsu felt an immense sense of guilt and gratitude overcome him. These people were going to risk their life for him and Anju.

"Wait!" Katsu exclaimed.

Tachibana and Ren turned around, both giving him an almost annoyed look. For a second Katsu thought they actually looked angry.

"Thanks." Katsu said after a moment of hesitation. "Thank you for everything." He made a slight bow.

Ren smiled and let out a small chuckle. "Take care of her."

Tachibana and Ren turned around again and moments later, they vanished into the night.

Katsu and Anju were alone again. Completely alone.

Katsu sighed and sat down, leaning against the stone wall. If what Ren and Tachibana said was true, then the next three hours are going to be full of running, and he wanted to have as much energy as possible. Whether or not Anju could keep up was entirely another problem.

An awkward silence settled between the two. Neither said a single word. It's funny how two people can share such an emotion moments, and such a profound connection, yet can't find any words to say to each other

They sat there in complete silence. Katsu debated whether or not to ask Anju if he was her…_boyfriend_. _What an immature word_. Katsu didn't like the sound of that word. _How can I ask her without sounding dumb or selfish?_ _Does she like me? Love me? Urgh…_

Anju on the other hand was worried about something else entirely, yet at the same time the same thing. She knew she loved Katsu, yet she knew that a relationship with a human will always end in unhappiness. _Always? _Maybe she could change that. She wondered if Ren was going to be save. How long it would take for the vampires to realize Katsu had escaped. Then a strange thought came across her. _Why am I doing this?_ Why was she betraying the vampires without any questions? _Because I love…_Anju didn't finish the thought. Boogie-kun suppressed the need to let out a frustrated sigh.

Every couple of minutes, Katsu drew out his phone and checked the time. His battery was almost dead now. About half a bar left he estimated. _Maybe just enough for one call…_He considered calling Jun now, but then decided against it. _The barrier would simply block the signal. _

Anju now felt a wave of guilt overcome her. She held Boogie-kun tightly. She didn't know what to do. She wished that she had stopped Ren from putting himself into such a danger, yet at the same time she was glad how things worked out. She hated herself for thinking so selfishly. Boogie-kun on the other hand just wished that Katsu would do _something_

For the next 27 minutes, neither the human nor the vampire spoke a single word. The killer doll felt quite frustrated.

Eventually, Katsu's phone showed that half an hour was up. It was time to go. Time to escape.

"It's time," Katsu said and stood up, offering Anju his hand. She took it, but didn't look at Katsu.

"Which direction?" Katsu asked, hoping that Anju would reply verbally.

Anju didn't know what 'to do' with her feelings. She knew that she loved Katsu, yet she also knew that he was a vampire hunter, or at least partially one. She didn't know what to do…she really didn't know

Anju stepped out of the door and pointed more or less to the left. "That way," she said with no emotion.

With a small smile, Katsu took her hand, waited for a moment to see if she would resist or jerk back, and then began to walk towards the direction Anju pointed to.

It was Anju's first time walking hand in hand with someone of the opposite sex.

They walked for a couple of minutes and soon that walk naturally turned into a jog. Soon Anju took charge and began pointing out a new direction whenever she saw one of Tachibana's guide bats.

About half an hour later, they were there.

"We're out of the barrier now." Anju announced, panting slightly.

Katsu raised an eyebrow and looked around. He expected to feel _something_. Maybe a sudden change in temperature or a different feeling in the air.

"I didn't feel a thing." Katsu said, looking around for any sign that he was out of the barrier.

"Only vampires can feel the barrier." Anju replied, her hand still in Katsu's

Katsu smiled. Yes, he finally got out in one piece. "Let's get as far as we can before dawn breaks," he said and gave her hand a little squeeze.

Anju smiled back.

For the next hour, holding hands, the pair continued to walk, slowly heading into the depths of the forest. Getting as far away from the mansion as possible before the sun rises was the top priority.

Anju felt exhausted. She hasn't drunken any blood in days, mostly because she was devastated by Katsu's 'death'. Walking was becoming harder for her.

There was something shiny. Anju looked to the horizon and could see the sun peaking. The morning sunlight went straight into her eye. It was painful alright.

Anju felt to her knees, eyes tightly shut.

Feeling Anju dragging him down, Katsu looked behind him and saw Anju on her knees, covering her eyes. He then looked to the horizon.

"Anju!" he exclaimed. _Shit! _"Are you alright?"

Her head hurt a lot. Anju was especially weak right now, after she had not drunken any blood for days, and now strong, morning sunlight directly in her eyes.

_Goddamnit!_ Katsu looks around, any large tree that might give some shadow, or a collection trees that were thick enough. He looked up, no the trees weren't growing densely enough.

Seeing how Anju couldn't stand up, he lifted her up and carried her on his back. He began running towards the direction that reckoned would lead to denser collection of trees.

He jogged for about 15 minutes before he found a spot where it seemed that the trees grew dense enough to shield almost all sunlight.

He put Anju down against a tree and sat himself down next to her. Anju looked like as if she was in a lot of pain. Well, she was in a lot of pain after all.

"Hey, Anju," he gently shook her arm. "How you feeling?"

Anju let out a moan and bit down on her lower lip. Yes, she was in a lot of pain.

Not knowing what to do, Katsu drew out his cell phone and went to his contact list. It's now or never.

He went down the list until he reached Jun's emergency only number. It was a number he never thought he would ever dial.

Katsu pressed dial. No one picked it up. Instead he simply heard Jun's recorded voice reply. "I will track you down Katsu wherever you are. Don't worry I'll be there soon."

Katsu frowned. _Now that's a pretty neat trick. _

He looked to his side and saw Anju in pain. _Shit, what should I do?_

There was only one thing he could do and he knew it very clearly. In fact, he had about 5 liters of what Anju needed just a little of.

Katsu put his arm around Anju, her nose extremely close to his neck, his eyes nuzzling in her hair, absorbing her sweet scent. Instinctively, Anju's fangs began to grow.

"Bite me" Katsu whispered. "Anju…I know you need it, please"

Anju couldn't control herself anymore. Slowly she opened her mouth and moved closer to his neck. Gently, she sank her fangs into his neck. She let out a sigh of relief as she tasted his blood.

Katsu could feel the venom being injected into his body. This time, he welcomed the sleep. He needed the rest. Getting kidnapped by vampires had completely ruined his sleeping pattern.

"I…love you." he managed to whisper before sinking into a deep sleep. His head rested on Anju's shoulders.

Anju felt a lump in her throat. She didn't quite understand it herself, but just then, she felt incredibly…happy when she heard those word. Almost like a sudden jolt of joy shooting through her. _I love you…_

She rested his head on her lap and stroked his hair. His face had such a peaceful expression. No intentions, no emotions, no sign that it was the face of a human who was dragged into the vampire hunter business. No sign of evil. Just peace. Yes, she loved him

She knew that this, all _this_, would not last long. Soon, reality would hit. But right now in this moment, she knew that she could love and think with no bounds. She could love Katsu as much as her heart would allow her. She could feel him as much as she wanted. Just in this moment, this very moment, all the laws and boundaries of reality were gone. All ethics of vampire society forgotten.

Looking at his face, Anju slowly leaned over him and brushed her hair aside. Gently, she rested her lips on his.

Oh yes, if Katsu was conscious, he would have simply loved that. He would have loved that alright.

* * *

Sorry for the little delay, but school is really pressing hard. Recently I have found myself to be far more connected to the music on my iTunes than before. I just feel so much more emotion for the lyrics, melody and beat of the songs in my small music collection. Maybe I'm finding that music is one of the only ways besides writting to escape reality for a bit and forget all about school.

I just finished reading the book 'Tokyo' by Graham Marks. It's about a guy who looks for his sister in Tokyo. Really, its an amazing book. A really good mix of romance and thriller. Sadly its only published in the UK, so for people in the US it might be hard to get. Really try reading it, a very good thriller. Sigh...tomorow it's school again...another day...(yeah school does make me really depressed sometimes)

Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight To Love's End

**Chapter 28 – To Love's End**

Katsu half opened his eyes. He let out a low groan. His head felt dizzy. _What the hell happened?_

He closed his eyes again. For a moment, his mind was a complete blank. He didn't feel like thinking anything, he didn't want to know what was happening or where he was. He just wanted to lie there and feel light breeze. Breath in the smell of the forest.

_Forest?_

Then it all came back to him. Everything that has happened. All down to the last thing that happened to him before he fell asleep. _Oh right…Anju bit me…and then I…_

He wanted to relax a little more. Forget everything and simply…live. Enjoy the mild breeze, the beauty of nature.

Letting out a deep breath, Katsu slowly opened his eyes.

He was looking directly at Anju, her eyes closed, breathing slowly. For a second Katsu felt confused. How could he be possibly looking at her from this angle? From below?

Katsu then realized that his head was on Anju's lab.

He smiled.

He turned his head around to see where they were. He didn't remember much of how the forest actually looked liked before he gave Anju his neck. It was far too dark for his human eyes to make out any details.

It was then that he discovered that Anju had her hands framed around his face. A hand on each of his cheeks.

Katsu smiled again. His breathing didn't get heavier; he simply felt…glad that he was here in this situation. Almost happy one could say. And slightly nervous. He had never had a girl, be it human or vampire, be so intimate with him. And all of that while he was asleep.

He turned back up and discovered that Anju's eyes were open now, looking down at him, smiling.

A small smile spread across her lips. _Katsu…_

"Hi," Katsu smiled back, feeling slightly dumbfounded. Anju felt less disconnected than from before he got bitten and fell asleep. She was…warm, almost loving. _What happened while I was asleep?_

Anju looked at him directly in the eyes. He could sense something from her, but wasn't sure what that was. Barely aware of it herself, Anju slowly caressed his hair. She didn't think of anything, neither did she question what she was feeling or what she was doing. She simply did what…her feelings were driving her to do.

To Katsu, it was a very BIG jump. To him, Anju suddenly began to be very caring and…loving? He almost wanted to ask what happened while he had his eyes closed. Little did he know that only a single thing happened while he was asleep. Only a single thing

When the timing felt right, Katsu sat up and moved himself next to Anju, leaning against the enormous tree that he managed to find out of pure desperation. On purpose, he moved himself so that his arm was almost touching Anju's, to see if she would move away.

Anju did not move away. In fact, Katsu could swear that Anju leaned slightly closer to him. Her warm was touching his now. Just like lovers.

_Whatever happened while I was asleep must have been something good, _Katsu concluded.

A silence settled between the two. A comfortable silence.

Katsu didn't really know what happened while he was asleep, and neither did he exactly care anymore. For all he knew, Anju seemed to have…accepted him. He decided not to think about it anymore.

"How long have I been asleep?" Katsu eventually asked, realizing that the sun was high up.

"I think for about 8 hours." Anju replied after a moment of thought.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Katsu asked, now realizing that sun and an awake vampire didn't fit too well. "I thought vampires sleep during the day."

"I have slept while you were asleep." Anju answered. "Vampires need less sleep than humans, especially after they have drunken some blood."

Anju blushed slightly. Boogie-kun smiled slightly. Anju felt an urge to cub Katsu's face and kiss him, kiss him when both of them were awake. She wanted to feel his lips when he was awake to. She was sure that kissing him would feel different when he was awake. Anju tried her best to suppress the urge.

"Thank you…for protecting me from the sun." Anju thanked Katsu, doing her best to think of something else. It felt so right to cub his face and kiss him, to feel him, to press her lips against his. It wasn't exactly a feeling of desire, lust or urge. But rather a 'want'. A feeling of 'right'.

Katsu opened his mouth to reply but then closes it again. He didn't know what to say.

"It was nothing." Katsu half mumbled after a moment of hesitation.

Neither said anything afterwards. The only sound of their breathing mixed with the subtle sounds of the forest, the rustling of the leaves, the subtle chirping of a couple birds. It was very peaceful.

Katsu sighed and dropped his hand to the ground out of pure tiredness, the back of his hand to the ground. He felt like dozing off again. It felt simply…good to sit in the middle of the forest in the middle of the day and simply relax…To simply forget everything about reality. But he couldn't do that. Anju was next to him, his…_girlfriend?_

Katsu decided to push away that thought for now.

He then felt Anju's hand in his-they were warm and soft. A small smile formed around the corners of his lips.

After a moment of hesitation, he slightly turned his head and glanced at her. She smiled at him, he smiled back.

Anju wanted to say it. The three important, yet completely insignificant words. It felt so right to say them right now. _I love you._ Three such simple words that had such a simple meaning, yet more complicated than any other three words. She opened her mouth to say them, the words wouldn't come out.

She didn't understand why. In this situation, in this single moment in time, it felt so right to say them. As if they are meant to be said now. Yet they couldn't leave her mouth. It was an almost frustrating feeling.

"Is there enough shadow?" Katsu asked, concerned that the tree wouldn't give enough shade. He hoped that it was alright, because as far as he can see, it was the biggest tree around.

"Oh." Anju said, blinking, snapping her back to reality. "Yes, I'm fine."

"What should we do Anju?" Katsu asked, staring off into the forest.

Anju gave him a slightly confused look. She didn't quite understand what Kaysu was saying.

"What should we do?" Katsu asked again with a small sigh. "I mean when it's night. Where should we go? Where _can _we go? What should we do?"

Katsu wasn't even too sure about Jun now. It has been over eight hours now and Jun still hasn't showed up. Katsu wondered if the signal was too weak for Jun to locate him or the connection time was too short. Should he wait here for Jun and risk that the vampires would find them, or walk further to buy some time but running the risk that Jun will arrive but find nobody. _Damn…what should I do?_

"I think there is a small town two hours away from here." Anju replied. "I haven't been there before but I've heard my parents talk about it."

Anju wondered if Ren and Tachibana were alright. _Did they make it?_ They could have been caught by now. Anju bit her lower lip. _Please…please be alright._

Katsu let out a sigh and continued to stare into the forest. He was wondering about the same thing. He had never expected for two vampires, or one and half vampires, to go that far for him, or for Anju. His entire escape he owed to Anju, Ren and Tachibana.

For the first time in his life, Katsu felt…useless.

Katsu still couldn't quite believe that he was here. In the middle of the forest, sitting against a tree, holding hands with Anju. It was the first time he had ever done this with a girl, holding hands. He didn't feel nervous, nor did he feel his breathing become heavier. It felt so right. So natural. _Is this what they call love?_ No words were needed. Actions spoke louder than words.

Both of them knew that this wouldn't last long. They knew that soon their time alone in the forest would end and then reality would hit back and all the problems that come with it. But just for now, they could be together like this with no worries and boundaries.

But they have already escaped from the mansion, they already have broken all the rules, why can't they be together?

Yes, love is complicated alright.

Anju thought about all that and gave Katsu's hand a light squeeze, almost as if making sure that he was still there. It felt so…warm to be with him, to feel his presence, to be alone with him.

"What should we do after we get to the village?" Katsu asked, having come to the conclusion that if Jun didn't arrive by nightfall, he would start moving. "Sooner or later the vampires will pick up out trail…"

"I don't know…" Anju answered after thinking for a moment. "But…"

Anju took a deep breath. "I want to run away with you Katsu. I want to start a new life with you."

Anju never thought about saying those words, they quite literally came from her heart. To her, they sounded quite absurd, yet it was a very real direction. Anju didn't regret saying them.

Katsu smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze. "That's crazy Anju, the world is simply…"

He stopped halfway. Judging from the light in her eyes, Katsu could tell that Anju was quite serious about this. _Running away…starting a new life…that's crazy…impossible…but then again I did manage to come this far…_

"I know…it sounds crazy." Anju said with a small smile.

"Crazy enough to become reality." Katsu smiled back at her.

Anju reminded herself of Juliet. _Running away…Juliet was so foolish to kill herself, if she had just waited a little longer…she could have ran away with Romeo and started a new life…_

It was almost funny how, despite all their differences, Anju and Juliet were so much alike.

--

The two of them dozed in and out of sleep for the rest of the day. Both wanted to have as much energy for the night as possible. Anju didn't have a big problem with that, he was used to sleeping during the day. It was tough for Katsu. His entire sleeping pattern was turned completely upside down.

Neither spoke much when both of them were awake. They didn't feel the need to talk. It was a comfortable silence.

Eventually the sun vanished below the horizon and night took over. It was time to walk. Time to go on.

Katsu had dozed off again. The venom seemed to have some aftereffects on his slightly weakened body. Anju was watching him, wondering what she should do

In her heart she knew the choice she made was the right one. Ignore the ethics of vampire society, ignore the threat coming after them and simply run away with Katsu, into an unknown destiny. Ignore all rules and laws and simply run away with Katsu into a new life, into the unknown.

That thought exited her.

But she knew, it was a crazy plan. _Why is it crazy? _Boogie-kun thought to her. _Live your life to the fullest. You only get to live once, might as well do something that you know you will never regret._

Anju half smiled and gave the butcher doll a small squeeze. _Thank you Boogie-kun._

Anju reached over and gently shook Katsu's arm.

Katsu murmured something and opened his eyes. In almost a daze, he looked around himself.

"Oh, it's night," he said sleepily, and let out a yawn. "We should start moving right?" _I guess Jun hasn't come…_

Anju nodded and stood up. Katsu followed.

While standing up, Katsu felt his phone press against his thigh. He silently swore to himself.

Katsu then felt Anju's hand in his. For a second, Katsu's eyes widened in surprise but then smiled. He didn't really know if that meant that Anju accepted his feelings, but….

They walked in silence for about half an hour. Every couple of minutes, Katsu tried to steal a glance of Anju. He had never exactly noticed it, but Anju was quite curvaceous. Her chest wasn't very big, which was something he liked about her, but her curves were pleasing to look at. Katsu almost hated himself for looking at Anju with such thoughts, _almost._

_She is beautiful, _he thought with a sigh. He wanted to try to kiss her, feel her lips. He wondered what her lips felt like. He felt an urge to draw her close and feel her. An urge to wrap his arms tightly around her.

A smirk spread across Boogie-kun's face.

Anju abruptly stopped.

For a few moments, she stood still, very still. Listening intently.

There was a faint sound. A very familiar sound, almost chirping. The sound of thousands of small thing flapping. The sound of bats, a lot of bats.

Anju's heart sank. Her eyes widened. _No!_

Without a single word, she tightened her grip on Katsu's hand and began to run, run as fast as both of their legs would take them

--

5 kilometers away, a helicopter was hovering above the dense forest. On it were the vampire hunters.

"Damn it, where are you Katsu…" Jun mumbled as he tried to scan the forest with no success. It was way too dark to see anything.

The sudden call on his emergency number took him by complete surprise. It took quite some time for the tech department of the vampire hunters to locate where the call actually came from, the signal was extremely weak and the connection time was almost too low.

When the IT technicians finally located where Katsu's call came from, they gave Jun a 'how the hell did he manage to get himself up here?' look. Jun almost frowned when they showed him Katsu's location on a map. It was in the middle of nowhere. _How did Katsu get himself into his place? __Damn it, it's too dark_.

"Can't you fly any lower?" Jun asked the pilots. "We can barely see anything."

"I'll try to go lower, but it's dangerous to go that low at night in vampire territory," the pilot replied while checking his instruments.

_I know that,_ Jun thought.

15 minutes passed. Still nothing. Jun was considering to land and do a ground search for Katsu. _For god's sake, where is he?_

"Can you put us down to the ground?" Jun asked, popping his head into the cockpit.

The pilot didn't respond. He simply looked ahead, motionless.

"Hey!" Jun exclaimed, he was getting annoyed. He wanted to find Katsu fast. If he ended up in this region of Japan and called his emergency phone number, then it must be beyond serious

The pilot's jaw dropped slightly and pointed ahead. "Commander, I think you should come and see this."

Yes, Jun got promoted.

With a sigh and bend over, Jun moved himself into the small cockpit, careful not the accidentally switch any of the switches. He looked through the glass window. His jaw dropped.

"Holy Christ, I didn't know vampires could do that," he said in a whisper.

Up ahead, there was an enormous black cloud. Bats.

--

Anju and Katsu have now broken into a sprint. At first Katsu didn't understand why Anju began to run, but assumed that it must have been something urgent. Now, even his human ears could hear the flapping of the wings of the bats that where coming from behind.

From the sound, even Katsu could judge that there were a lot of bats. He didn't even need to turn around.

Anju's mind was a blank. She felt desperate. She knew that they would never make it. She knew that the bats would catch up with them very soon. She knew that there were too many of them for her to control with her will power. She knew that something bad was going to happen.

_Please…no…_Anju made a silent prayer. It was the first time she had ever done that.

_What…what should I do. _There were at least 4 vampires controlling the cloud of bats together. Even Elda wouldn't be able to take control of all these bats at once.

Anju held Katsu's hand even tighter.

Katsu didn't say anything, but he could feel the pressure, hear the sounds. He turned his head around to glance what was actually behind them. His eyes widened. It was nothing like he has ever seen before. It was basically a huge cloud of…black. A moving cloud. _So many bats shouldn't exist…_

They continued to spring, faster and faster.

"We're not going to make it!" Katsu shouted while letting go of Anju's hand so that he could run at full pace at next to Anju. There was enough space now.

For a second Anju thought that the bats had got him and dragged him to the ground. Anju bit her lower lip. She knew that they weren't going to make it. _Please, someone!_

Katsu started to grow very nervous, his breathing became heavier. He knew that the bats weren't going to harm Anju, but they were after him. _Godamnit! WHERE ARE YOU JUN?_

He ran and ran and ran until….blank. Katsu drew a sharp breath and began to slow down, he let go of Anju's hand. The sprint turned into a jog, then into a slow walk until he came to a complete stop. He felt a sharp pain in his back.

Shaking, he turned his head to look what happened.

The back of his shirt was soaked in blood. At first he couldn't quite recognize what was happening. Then an excruciating pain overcame him. The sharp pain was gone. His brain now fully realized the signals his nerve cells were sending it.

"AHHHHHHH!" Katsu cried out and fell forwards.

"Katsu!" Anju cried and caught him in her arms before he landed on the ground. She could feel the blood coming from his back. _No! No! NO!_

Katsu had his eyes closed. He didn't make a single sound.

Anju's eyes were wide with disbelieve. No tears were there.

"Katsu? Katsu?" Anju shook Katsu frantically, eyes wide with disbelief. "No Katsu. Wake up Katsu." Tears were streaming down her face. "Wake up Katsu….wake up…I love you, please wake up Katsu…don't you know? I love you Katsu."

"I love you…"

Katsu did not wake up.

Anju's hands were covered in his blood.

It was a very dark night indeed.

* * *

Yup, and vampires show this time that bats can be quite effective. Actually the title of this chapter is from thr InuYasha OST, To Love's End. The title doesn't really relate with what's happening in the story, but I thought still does kind of fit, doesn it? I highly recommend reading this chapter while having To Love's End playing. But then again, if you're reading this, you probably already finished the chapter. Download it anyway, brilliant combination of violin and piano.

On October 17th, I'm going to take the bloody PSAT. Man, still have to study for that. Pump up my vocab, refresh my maths...it's really a pain in the ass, not to mention that I've got a big history assignment coming up...and then all the coursework after Christmas. IB really does not nourish creativity in any way. Stress kills creativity, and I'm getting lots of it.

You know actually, yesterday my dad got pissed at me because he though that I was focusing more time on writing than actually studying and doing my homework. I was just about to finish up chapte 28 when he came in, disrupted my flow and began talking about how studying is more important than creative writing and I should study for PSAT. To hell with that, writing is my passion. Writing is what I WANT to do. My dad is a typical business man, what doesh he know about creativity.

Thanks for reading!


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine A Promise Made

**Chapter 29 – A Promise Made**

"You see that sir?" the helicopter pilot pointed ahead. "The black cloud seems to have stopped moving."

Jun, still wide eyes with disbelief, blinked. "Yeah, it does look like it stopped moving."

Jun thought for a moment. Was it too risky to land now? But with the bats there, there was a good chance that Katsu was down there too. It certainly was long shot, but still…

"Can you put us down?" Jun asked the pilot. "Somewhere close to the cloud."

The pilot thought for a moment then nodded and began to move his joystick. He let out a silent sigh. "This just can't end good…" he muttered under his breath.

Jun stepped out of the cockpit and looked at his henchmen, all looking back at him and waiting for orders.

Jun pursed his lips and thought for a moment before deciding to ask. He was in quite a rush to get the helicopter flying and all of the henchmen he had with him were volunteers that decided to join as soon as they heard that Katsu was old Takashi's grandson. He didn't even know most of their names. Jun didn't want to put their lives at risk. And he forgot to bring necessary equipment.

"Did anybody bring some sort of bat spray?" he asked, looking hopefully at the volunteers.

All of the henchmen gave him a surprised and confused look.

"We have two…wait, three flame throwers" one of the henchmen answered after a moment of hesitation and rummaging. "Are we going to need bat spray?"

Jun frowned. "Three flame throwers it is." _God help us all…_

--

Anju held Katsu's head in her lab. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. Tears were flowing uncontrollably. _No…Katsu...Please Katsu not now…please_

A bat flew past and made a scratch on Katsu's cheek. One more wound.

Anju looked up and glanced around. They were surrounded by bats. Bats flying in circles above her and in the nearby trees. Anju didn't feel nervous or scared. No, she felt angry. Seeing all those bats and then the scratch on Katsu's face, it caused an anger to rise insider her.

Anju glared at the bats and Boogie-kun could swear that he heard the bats whimper. Anju was beyond enraged. She felt a mix of anger and anguish. She gave every bat a glare of doom. Every single bat sat itself down on a nearby tree. The black cloud of bats practically disappeared. The area of forest surrounding Anju and Katsu looked like as if it had been soaked in black paint.

Anju looked back down on Katsu again. His face was so peaceful. There was no emotion on his face. He didn't look like a vampire hunter at all. He simply looked…handsome. The person she knew she could love nearly unconditionally, for Anju did believe in love now, although unconditional love was another matter entirely. The person she knew she loved with all her heart. Normally seeing Katsu so peaceful would make her happy. But not this time. No, not this time.

She felt her hands soaked in Katsu's look. Almost funny how a person can look have such a peaceful expression while blood pouring out from the cut. Katsu's bleeding wouldn't stop. Anju didn't know what to do. It felt…terrible to not be able to do _something_ but to simply sit there and watch Katsu bleeding. _Please…somebody…_

Anju made a silent prayer. It was the first time she had ever done that. _Please God…please…_

As if her prayers were instantly answered, a bright light suddenly hovered above them. If Katsu was conscious, he say that an UFO has just appeared.

A ladder dropped down.

Wide eyed, Anju watched what was happening. A bright light, a ladder. Yes, it was confusing, especially for a vampire like Anju who knew little about technology except mobile phones. She still had some iPods from her biting targets.

Jun came down the ladder, followed by his henchmen. He stepped onto the ground and saw Anju holding Katsu closely. Jun almost frowned. _He got the girl, what does he need me for?_

Anju had her eyes fixed on Jun. She had the feeling that she had met him somewhere before. She couldn't quite remember where she had seen him before, but something told her she had met this person before.

Slowly Jun walked closer to Anju to see what was wrong. _Where did all the bats go? Why isn't Katsu moving...sleeping?_ He could sense that something was wrong.

He moved closer and took a closer look at Anju's hand. It was then that he noticed that Anju's hand and sleeves were soaked in blood. Katsu's blood. His eyes widened.

"SHIT!" Jun exclaimed. _She killed him?_ He grabbed Katsu's arm and tried to pull him away from Anju. No, Jun wasn't that much of a thinker when it the pressure suddenly came. But then again, who is?

Without saying anything, Anju clung to Katsu. Her mind was a blank. She did not quite understand what was happening but she wasn't going to let Katsu go. No, not now. Not after they have gotten so far.

"Help me out here!" Jun shouted at his henchmen and let go of Katsu. _Shit! I need to get Katsu to a hospital! Why the hell is she clinging to him?_

Jun watched his three men unsuccessfully try to drag Katsu away from Anju. They did not dare to lay a finger on Anju. That was the first rule of any mission: avoid any physical contact with vampires.

"She won't let go!" one of the henchmen shouted after a few minutes. "She has practically glued herself to him!"

_Shit, _Jun thought again. His head felt heavy. A thousand different thoughts were racing through his mind. _What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?_ He looked at Katsu and then at Anju again. Something felt wrong. _If she killed him, then shouldn't she run away when we came…? The bats…where are they?_

…

…_I'll be damned_

"God damnit! Then take her with you!" Jun shouted back.

The henchmen first gave him a look of disbelief but then decided not to question Jun even though they did want to ask how they should carry Anju up to the helicopter when she wouldn't let go of Katsu. Seconds later, they decided to ask anyway.

"How are we supposed to carry them up the ladder if she won't let go?" one of the henchmen asked and pointed at how Anju clung to Katsu.

Jun closed his eyes for a moment and let out a frustrated sigh. He walked over and pushed the henchmen aside. He knelled down and looked Anju directly in the eyes. He had never been so close to a vampire before.  
"Look I know you recognize me as a the vampire hunter you met some time ago but I'm here to help." Jun said while trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. Anju didn't reply. "I need to corporate here with me alright? I need you to let go of Katsu and climb up that ladder or else Katsu is going to die. You here me? Katsu is going to die unless you let go and go up that ladder"

Anju gave him a glazed stare. _Katsu is going to die?_ Yes, Anju's head was quite jumbled up right now.

"God damnit, listen to me!" Jun exclaimed angrily, clearly losing his cool. "Get your ass up that ladder or Katsu is going to die!"

Anju half nodded and without noticing, her grip on Katsu slowly loosened. Anju did not make any move to stand up and go up the ladder.

_Please go up the ladder Anju, _Boogie-kun thought to her. He wasn't sure himself if they could trust Jun but the helicopter seemed like a better choice than being surrounded by bats not under Anju's control.

"Follow me." Jun said with half a sigh and began to climb up the ladder, motioning for Anju and the henchmen to follow.

With Boogie-kun clinging to her arm, Anju began to climb up the ladder. The bats didn't make a single move to stop her, nor did they try to stop the henchmen from tying Katsu to one of their backs. It was as if the vampires had given up…or the bats were scared of Anju.

Closely following Anju, the henchmen climbed up the ladder too, with Katsu tied to one of their backs.

In the helicopter, Jun got out the first aid kit and popped his head into the cockpit "Get us to the nearest hospital."

The pilot nodded and began to turn his joystick. Judging from the anxiety in Jun's voice, the pilot didn't need to be told that he should cut some corners in the law and fly a little faster than allowed.

In the back, Jun and his henchmen unsuccessfully tried to stop Katsu's bleeding. None of them knew how to treat a cut so deep, they just knew basic first aid. Everybody's heart was beating fast. No one wanted to see Katsu bleed to death.

Anju sat there motionlessly, holding Boogie-kun tightly, unable to help. All she could do was sit there and watch Jun and his henchmen try to stop the bleeding. Yes, it felt terrible not being able to do anything.

She closed her eyes and held Boogie-kun even tighter. _Please Katsu…please...don't die, please not now…_

_Don't leave me Katsu…_

Using her superior sense of smell, she could smell that Katsu had already lost a lot of blood. No, that did not help at all. For once in her life, Anju was not glad to be able to smell blood.

Fifteen minutes later, the helicopter landed on the hospital roof. They haven't called ahead, nobody knew that a helicopter was going to land there, nobody was there waiting for them.

"Get him to the emergency room fast!" Jun shouted and opened the helicopter door before it even had landed properly. "Faster!"

Quickly, the henchmen got Katsu out and began to head for the emergency room. There was no time to lose. Every second that passed meant more drops of blood escaping from Katsu's body. Precious blood. Blood needed for life.

Jun nearly forgot about Anju and stepped back into the helicopter to get her. She had no idea what was going on. Anju had never been in a hospital before, let alone on a roof of one. She tried to avoid hospitals as much as possible, since hospitals usually had a strong scent of blood emitting from them, completely unnoticeable for human noses. And the smell in hospitals nauseated her.

Jun glanced nervously at Anju as he led her towards the emergency room. _I hope she won't wipe my mind…_Yes, Jun did feel uncomfortable next to Anju. After all, he was the one that dropped a flash grenade to knock her out. Not exactly a great way to get to know anybody.

Jun ran ahead of the henchmen and straight to the nurse counter. "We need a doctor!" he said, trying to sound as polite as possible and trying not to shout. He pointed over to Katsu. The henchman turned around to show the nurse Katsu's back wound.

"Oh!" the nurse gasped. "In here, in here!" she said quickly and pointed towards the emergency room.

"I'll go get doctor Kageyama!" she said and half jogged down the corridor.

Minutes later, the doctor came. The wait unbearable. Jun had his palm against his forehead and was tapping the counter impatiently, his breathing got heavier. "What is going on?" the doctor exclaimed, panting and looking at the ground and the blood that has trickled on it.

The nurse quickly pointed to the emergency room. With quick steps the doctor walked into the emergency room, closely followed by Jun and Anju.

The henchmen had put Katsu down on the operating table, his backside upwards. Katsu's shirt was soaked with blood. No, it was not pretty sight.

The doctor regarded the unconscious Katsu and his wound for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Go get Yuriko and doctor Aoyoma." he said to the nurse quickly, not wasting any time.

She rushed out of the emergency room, showing signs of tireness. No, she wasn't used to so much hectic during the night shift.

The doctor then turned to Jun, Anju and the henchmen. "I'll do what I can" he said solemnly and motioned for them to leave the room.

All they could do was wait now.

--

_15 minutes later_

Jun and Anju sat in the waiting room. Alone. One could almost feel sorry for Jun. All of his henchmen had a sudden thirst for coffee and went off to search for a Starbucks and the pilot needed to check his equipment. That left Jun as the only one who could 'take care' of Anju.

Yes, Jun felt awkward alright. And this time he had no flash grenade with him. Not that he was scared, but he didn't exactly feel safe either.

Anju was still holding Boogie-kun tightly. She hasn't looked up since the doctor told them to go to the waiting room. At the height of her heart, she prayed for Katsu's survival. There was so much she wanted to tell him. No, there was little to tell him except that she loved him. She wanted to feel him, feel him hold her, feel his warmth and soft hair. Feel his lips. Smell his scent. She wanted so much, yet so little.

Boogie-kun wanted to think to her _Don't worry, he'll be alright. _But he couldn't, for he knew, Katsu had lost a lot of blood. He didn't dare to think _Too much blood_, but he knew, Katsu just might have reached his limit.

Jun let out a sigh and carefully glanced over to Anju. He wondered if she recognized him. _Vampires are supposed to be good at memorizing scents…since they find their ideal biting target using smell…I wonder if she memorized my scent from that time…_

"The doctor will do everything he can." Jun said, trying to force himself to smile. He wanted to add a 'don't worry, he'll be fine', but he just couldn't get himself do it, for he wasn't too sure himself about Katsu's chances of survival.

Anju responded with silence. She didn't even look up. If Jun wasn't there, Boogie-kun would have let out a sigh, but he didn't want to freak the human out. And if he had pupils, he would have rolled his eyes too. Anju didn't even look up. It kind of scared Jun.

Neither said anything for a few minutes and the silence dragged on. Every couple of minutes, Jun would glance over to Anju just to check that she was still there. To him, Anju looked very…shaken, almost shocked. And depressed too. Jun couldn't see her eyes. Her long silver hair was covering them. _I wonder if they're a couple_, Jun mused. _Judging from the way she was holding him…maybe? Either way Katsu must mean a lot to her since she is still here…maybe she loved him? Why else would she be so depressed. Katsu you lucky son-of-a-bitch._

Yes, Jun was quite the thinker.

"He'll be fine." Jun finally managed to say after a serious of internal debates with himself. He glanced over to Anju and pursed his lips. He was beginning to feel more comfortable. Since she hasn't wiped his mind yet, he doubted that she was going to do it anytime soon.

Anju didn't reply. She felt an incredible emptiness in her chest, as if something was missing. As if Katsu had taken that piece with him and when she realized that she loved him dearly. She held Boogie-kun even tighter. She didn't think it, but she knew it very clearly. She needed Katsu. Anju swallowed. _Please Katsu…don't die_.

Simply sitting there and waiting for the result was one of the worst feelings Anju ever felt. It was a mix of anguish, anxiety and…worry. Not being able to do anything, it simply felt excruciating.

Jun sighed again. He was getting a little tired of the silence. Not that he blamed Anju or anything, but he did wish that she would talk a bit. Even if it's just a mumble or glazed glance, any kind of reply would be fine with him.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jun asked, not expecting an answer. "You know about Katsu…" his voice trailed off.

Anju replied with silence again. Jun hated the feeling when a girl, be it vampire or human, acted like he didn't exist. It made him feel like a dork, not to mention self conscious.

"I guess not…" he muttered under his breath and stood up to walk to the nearby vending machine. "If you want something to drink, just tell me," he said and threw in a couple of coins into the slot.

With a cold orange juice, Jun sat himself down again, one seat away from Anju. Nope, the incident with the flash grenade was still on his mind. He knew that one day the flash grenade incident would come back to haunt him, but not in this way.

"I'm Jun." he said after a short silence and reached out his hand, trying to put on a friendly smile. He only managed half a smile. He decided to say it. _I might as well…I'll be damned…again._

"You might remember me from the time in the park…" Jun said after a moment of hesitation. It felt weird to be making introductions now. "You know that time with the flash grenade…I was the guy who dropped it…yeah…"

Boogie-kun almost frowned. _A bit late for that don't you think?_

Finally Anju looked up and turned her head towards Jun. "Oh."

Jun waited for a couple of seconds for anything to happen. He wondered what Anju was thinking. He just hoped she wouldn't develop a grudge against him for knocker her out with the grenade. He still had to report back to headquarters, and the chief was going to kick his ass for taking the only helicopter the vampire hunters had on short notice.

After about two minutes, Jun let out a small sigh of relief and rested his right elbow in his thigh and then his chin on his palm. He glanced over to Anju and mused what she felt right now besides worry and anguish.

He glanced over to the emergency room. _I wonder how long they're going to take…_The longer the doctors were in there, the more serious Katsu's wound was. Jun wanted to pop his head into the room like he did in the cockpit and see what was going on. But then again, the doctors would probably scowl at him.

"So how did you two end up in the forest with all those bats?" Jun asked, wanting to hear the story. _Maybe they were running away together hand in hand? _A smirk spread across Jun's lips.

Anju responded with silence again. Not that Jun expected anything different. He was used to being ignored by Anju by now. One could almost feel sorry for him.

Jun let out a profound sigh. _Since she isn't going to respond…I might as well ask…_

"Do you love him?" Jun asked with no hesitation or stutters. He looked directly at Anju, looking for any kind of reaction that could indicate an answer. _She probably won't answer anyway…_

Anju didn't look up, but her eyes widened. It was the first time in a long time since anybody asked her that question. The last time anybody asked that was back in Tokyo. At home. Before any of this happened. Before she found out Katsu was a vampire hunter. When she thought just like now that she could love him with no bounds. If she wasn't mistaken, it was Boogie-kun who asked her that.

Anju did not want to deny her feelings for Katsu anymore. Now that they were a…_couple._ It was the first time she had thought of her and Katsu in such a way. It felt strange, yet wonderful at the same time. Anju half nodded and Jun could swear he saw her smile a little.

Jun smiled and let out a chuckle. "That's one fine fellow you've got there for yourself," he said. _God damn Katsu, how did you do it?_

"You've told him yet?" Jun asked, this time around expecting an answer. He looked at Anju expectantly, now full of hopes for some information.

Anju stared at the ground. She wasn't sure herself. _Have I told him?_ She had kissed Katsu while he was unconscious…and she held his head in her lab when he was awake…and she held his hand, or was it Katsu that held her hand? She has told him that she loved him when he just got cut by the bats. _But did he hear? _Did she say it loud enough? _Maybe he did hear it? _Anju began to think in circles, something she hadn't done in a while.

To Boogie-kun, it was like watching a miracle unfold. His master rarely ever had jumbled up thoughts. He would have gaped in awe if Jun wasn't there. Or laughed.

Eventually, Anju shoock her head.

Jun half frowned, half smiled. "I figured as much."

Footsteps started coming from the hallway. It were the henchmen. They came back. _They actually came back_, Jun thought and let out a slight frown. _I guess they didn't go get a coffee just to get away from her._

"Uhm…Jun? We need to talk to you," one of the henchmen said after a moment of hesitation when he saw that Anju had more life in her eyes now.

"Talk then." Jun promptly replied.

All of the henchmen looked at Anju and began looking uncomfortable. Jun raised an eyebrow.

"If we talk we might as well do it in front of her," Jun said coolly. "I trust her." _And I hope that she trusts me…_Since Anju admitted that she loved Katsu, Jun didn't fear her anymore. They had one common interest now.

"We think," the henchman began to say after taking a deep breath. "That it would be best to bring the vampire girl back to the forest, or Tokyo. Right now."

Wide eyed, Anju looked up. She didn't like what they were saying. She had no intention of going back. Yes, her family was important to her…but what do they always say? You can never be truly happy unless you act a little bit selfishly. Anju was determined to stay with Katsu.

Jun thoughtfully looked at the ground and considered the options. After a short while he nodded. _They have a point. If vampires can control such a huge amount of bats so precisely, then they must have some way to watch the bats to coordinate them. Otherwise it would be too difficult to coordinate them if they couldn't see where the bats where. And if they had so much control over the bats, they could probably see through the bats too…which means that they saw us taking Anju away…_

…_Shit_

"They probably saw us taking her with us," one of the henchmen said.

Jun nodded in agreement. "This is bad…" he muttered. He was surprised with himself though. Usually he would have thought of that long beforehand. Too much stress in the only explanation.

Anju stood up and looked Jun in the eyes with determination. "I'm not going."

Jun pursed his lips and steadily looked back at her.

"We can't have a war with vampires." Jun said solemnly. "Katsu's grandfather worked too long and too hard for peace. I'm not going to let war happen."

"I'm not leaving." Anju replied emotionlessly. "I want to be with Katsu."

_I want to be with Katsu._ For a second Anju couldn't believe that she said something like that so bluntly. Oh yes, she blushed. Jun's henchmen had difficulties suppressing their smiles.

"You're going back to Tokyo," Jun said sternly. This was not a matter he wanted to be argued with. Vampires attacking humans because they assume that they have kidnapped Anju was not something Jun wanted to be responsible for.

"I am not going back." Anju replied steadily.

"YOU'RE GOING BACK!" Jun shouted angrily. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE WAR WOULD MEAN? VA-"

Jun quickly cut himself off. He didn't want to distract he doctors in the operating room. And it would be far too difficult to explain war with vampires if anybody in the hospital heard it. He didn't want the nurses and staff to begin asking questions. Luckily, all the staff on nightshift were in the emergency room, excluding the guard.

"Please…" Jun said in almost a whisper. "Just corporate."

Anju steadily looked back at him, the determination not gone from her eyes. She knew she was being selfish by insisting to stay here. Her family surely began to worry, and she needed to find out if Ren and Tachibana were alright. Not to mention the people she would be endangering by staying here.

But she wanted to be with Katsu no matter what. _Selfish indeed_, Boogie-kun thought smugly. _But I like it._

Suddenly the door to the emergency room opened. The doctor came in with a calm and tired expression. The expression that doctors usually had when having to explain something to friends and relatives of the patient.

Everyone was suddenly alert, all looking expectantly at the doctor. Praying for good news and hoping that the bad news wouldn't been fatal.

The doctor let out a deep breath. "If he makes it through the night, then his chances of surviving would increase dramatically. He has lost a lot of blood you see…and right now we don't have any blood donors available. However no vital organs were damaged, so the chances of survival are quite high, but he has lost a lot of blood. His body might not be able to recover."

Good news; Katsu isn't dead yet. Bad news; the possibility of him dying is still there.

"I'm going to go and put together the necessary papers," the doctor said and began to walk away.

"Of course." Jun muttered. "Can we go and see him?" he asked, knowing that Anju and none of the henchmen would speak up.

"Of course," the doctor replied. "Just walk down the corridor and the nurse will tell you where to go."

Half jogging, half walking the group of vampire hunters plus one vampire went down the corridor. Soon they saw the nurse, who led them to Katsu's room. Breathing nervously, Anju and Jun entered.

And there he was.

Katsu.

Connected to a monitoring machine that shows his heartbeat, he slept peacefully, breathing in and out evenly. He didn't look like dying at all.

In almost a daze, Anju began to walk closer to Katsu. She wanted to smell him, see his face closely. She wasn't sure, but maybe she could smell out whether or not Katsu had enough blood in his body. _Whatever happens, don't blame yourself too much_, Boogie-kun thought. If Katsu died of too much blood loss, it was inevitable that Anju would blame herself for sucking Katsu's blood.

A small smiled formed on Anju's lips. She felt incredibly…glad to be able to see Katsu again. Breathing and sleeping. A single trickled down her cheek. _Katsu…_

"How about going back to Tokyo when he wakes up?" Jun suggested with the biggest grin his face could manage.

Anju smiled and nodded.

She and Jun stayed there the whole night. With Anju always watching if Katsu was still breathing. They didn't talk much, for Jun was exhausted and fell fast asleep.

Katsu made it through the night with no problem. He slept peacefully for the whole night. Anju had never been happier before.

--

_2 days later, 8:50 am_

Anju was sitting by Katsu's bed, gently stroking his hand, waking for him to wait up. Jun was leaning against the doorway, sending messages to his superiors explaining the situation. His henchmen had gone out to eat breakfast. Jun didn't go with them, he wanted to watch over Anju. Not that he didn't trust her; he was just worried about anything happening. Anything at all. Causing commotion in the hospital is one thing he absolutely didn't want.

Jun had closed the curtains, knowing that Anju couldn't stand the sunlight. Anju thanked him for that but didn't say anything else. Not that she held a grudge against Jun for the flash grenade, but she wasn't exactly grateful either.

To his own surprise, Jun didn't feel nervous or anything. With every passing minute, the chances of vampires going offensive was rising, but he didn't care anymore. Although he still frequently checked online news sites for any increase in bat activity or a rise of unconscious people found in the park.

Suddenly, Anju's eyes grew wide. Katsu's hand just twitched. _Katsu?_

With a low groan, Katsu slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry. He saw a blur of grey, silver, yellow and white. He blinked hard a couple of times before his vision came into focus. He smiled.

It was Anju looking down at him, with the sweetest smile she had ever shown him. Eyes filled with joy. At the height of his heart Katsu hoped that this wasn't a dream. It was the most joy filled expression Anju had ever shown him.

Leaning against the doorway, Jun noticed how Anju began to lean over Katsu. He raised an eyebrow and looked closer. He let out a small frown and smiled. _Lucky bastard, wakes up and first thing he sees is the cutest girl around looking down at him._

Katsu's smile widened. "Anju…I…"

He tried to sit up but was immediately pinned down by an excruciating pain in his back. "Urgh!" he groaned and bit down on his lower lip to keep himself from crying out in pain.

Anju smiled the brightest smile she ever smiled and wrapped her arms around Katsu's neck. "Katsu…Katsu…Katsu…" Tears of happiness rolled down her cheek. It was one of the few times she cried out of joy and relief.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. It was him. It felt so good to hold him close again. To smell his scent, to hear his voice, to see him smiling, to feel his warmth. To see him breathing and alive. To pour out her feelings. To love with no boundaries. To dream of a future with no horizons. It was all here. It all came back.

Katsu could hear Anju crying. "Hey, hey, its alright. It's alright. I'm here, don't worry…" he said soothingly, glad that Anju was here, glad that he survived and was alive. _Thank you so much_, he thought to no one in particular.

Slowly, Anju moved her lips closer to his ear. "I love you" she whispered so softly into his ears that he could barely hear it. But hear he did.

The three magical words. Three such simple words. Three simple words that can have such a profound meaning. She finally managed to say them.

Katsu smiled. It was the first time a girl ever said these words to him. Three such simple words. "I love you too…I love you too" he whispered back.

He nuzzled his nose in her hair, absorbing her sweet girl scent. It felt good to feel her so close to him. To know that she is there. To know that she loves him. _Anju…_

Loudly, Jun cleared his voice. "Katsu!"

Katsu let go of Anju and looked to the direction the voice came from.

"Jun!" he exclaimed in wonder and would have gotten up to hug him if it was not for his back wound.

"Good to see you alive." Jun said with a smile.

"What happened while I was sleeping?" Katsu asked, looking at Jun and Anju. "How exactly did I get this wound? My memory is all blury."

Anju and Jun looked at each other. Jun shrugged and decided to explain first.

Over the next 2 hours, Anju and Jun filled Katsu in on everything that happened from when he dialed Jun's emergency number to the last couple of hours when he was still sleeping.

The whole time, Katsu didn't say anything except for a 'oh' when Jun explained that Anju had to go back when he woke up. There was a long silence after Anju and Jun had finished.

After about half an hour, Jun cleared his throat again. "I hate to ruin the mood, but I think we really have to go now. Every minute that passes increases the chances of vampires going offensive."

Katsu let out a sad sigh but then smiled. "I understand."

"We better go." Jun said. _I better give them some time alone._ "I'll go wait by the helicopter, but don't take too long alright?"

And with that Jun left.

Katsu and Anju were left alone again. Both knew that they would need to part in a matter of minutes.

Anju walked to Katsu's bed again and leaned over him. She leaned so close that their noses were almost touching. "I love you" she whispered before lightly resting her lips on his.

And this time, Katsu was fully conscious and would remember every detail.

After the 15 best seconds of Katsu's life so far, Anju stepped back and looked him in the eyes. She smiled gently at him and was all red.

Anju began to walk towards the door but then stopped. She dropped Boogie-kun and almost ran back to Katsu and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't want to leave him, not right after he has woken up. It wasn't fair. She loved him so much. She knew that she had to go, or else war might start, but she had such an aching in her heart. She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay so much.

Yet she couldn't.

"It's alright Anju…go now." Katsu whispered into her ear. "Wait for me in Tokyo, I'll come for you as soon as I can. I promise."

Anju kissed him lightly on the lips again. Katsu smiled.

"I promise."

With a smile, Anju stood up and turned around. This time, she walked out of the room with no stopping or turning back, for this time she knew Katsu would definitely comes.

It was a promise.

* * *

Sorry for this long delay, but I just had so many things going on. It was trips week at school, so I was away from mouse and keyboard for one week. And now its October break and teachers are flinging homework around like its nothing.

And besides that, I'm having my teenage emo phase now. I haven't told anybody online, but now I might as well. You probably all know that I moved to Beijing. Yeah, let's just say I really miss the girl that I never got. Quoting Jesse McCartney's song _How Do You Sleep:_ "been missing you craze..." I hope the quality of my writing hasn't dropped though.

Besides that, me and my friend are starting our own manga as a CAS project for IB. Right now the working title is _The Baby. _We're hoping to have the first chapter out by mid-December. Hopefully onemanga and mangafox will let us upload it. I'm really exited about this and glad to have become friends with an artist who is just as interesting in manga as I am, if not more. I'm writing the story for it and he is drawing. Tell me if you're interested and I'll keep you updated on our progress (give me your email address though...)

And as you can probably all tell, the ending is very near. But nothing more on that! (lol)

Thanks for reading!


	30. Chapter Thirty A Promise Kept

**Chapter 30 – A Promise Kept**

It was midnight. The night air was fresh and the moon was brighter than usual. Even brighter than the first time Katsu came to Tokyo and saw Anju on top of Usui Kenta's old apartment. The night air was richer than usual. It was a beautiful night. A very important night. For it has been 10 months to the date since Anju had last seen Katsu at the hospital in northern Japan.

Anju waited for Katsu every night on the roof. She wasn't sure where else to wait. She knew that Katsu knew where the Maaka mansion was, she hoped that he would come there for her. No, Anju didn't hope, she _knew_ that Katsu would come. And come he did.

--

_The train station, 0:11 am_

Slowly the white bullet train came to a hold. It had reached its final destination; Tokyo. The doors slid open and a stream of people came out of it. Almost funny how many humans travel by night when they are known to be creatures of the day. Not that vampires complained about it, it made it much easier for them to find a meal.

Eventually all the people came out until there was only one left. With a small smile that last person stepped out of the train and quickly walked out of the train station, carrying a small bag pack. That last person had a very important person to meet in Tokyo.

Once out of the train station, he came to a hold and looked up at the sky. The stars and moon were surprisingly clear tonight considering the amount of light pollution there is nowadays in major big cities. _The night air smells good_, Katsu thought with a small smile and drew out his cell phone.

It had been exactly 10 months since he had last seen Anju, 10 months since he had last seen or heard from her. He knew that he had promised her that he would come for her, but…_I hope ten months isn't too long of a waiting time…_

When the wound had just about healed after 2 months, Katsu immediately wanted to go to Tokyo and…'get' Anju. But the doctors told him to take plenty of rest, for his body needed it. Katsu spend the next 8 months mostly sitting in bed, watching TV, messing around with the laptop grandfather has bought for him. And homework. Oh yes, the homework.

Katsu's old desk wasn't big enough anymore to hold all the assignment sheets so now they were all over his room. Even his grandfather got scared of the amount of homework that had been piling up since Katsu left to find vampire DNA samples. Samples which he still hasn't gotten after all this time, but then again, he had managed to get something far more previous; a vampire's heart. Anju's heart.

For 8 grueling months, Katsu was typing away on his laptop, switching between windows so fast that one could swear that Katsu is researching and typing the essay at the same time. Katsu would have loved to catch up with his friends online, but he had over 100 assignments to catch up on. None of them easy. All of them time consuming.

But now he was free. Done with all the homework, done with the exams, and most importantly: done with the hospital.

10 months after the deep bat cut, his doctors have given him permission to move freely again. Of course he still couldn't play basketball or any other sport that involved running, ducking or jumping.

Katsu smiled to himself. The night air smelled so rich that he couldn't help but smile. It made him feel so…relaxed.

Katsu turned on his cell phone and waited for it to load. He had an important call to make. One that didn't involve any vampires though…

"Hey, I just arrived in Tokyo," Katsu said, looking up at the sky.

"Ah, that's good!" Jun answered cheerfully. "I guess you're gonna go and met Anju?"

"Yeah."

"Say hi to her for me!"

"Alright, I will do that."

Silence.

"Yeah, I should go now…" Katsu said, looking around for a cab.

"Alright, go and get her playboy!" Jun said with a laugh and hung up.

Five minutes later Katsu managed to find a cab. It was then that he realized that he had no idea what Anju's address was, neither did he know the way to the Maaka mansion from the train station. _Damn myself..._

--

_About 4 kilometers away_

Anju stood on the rooftop of Usui Kenta's apartment house. She had been waiting there almost every night since she came back to Tokyo. She never told her family why she always stood there nearly every single night, but from what information Ren had, they could make a pretty accurate guess.

When Anju came back, there was a huge relief among the vampire community. Many youngsters thought that the vampire hunters had kidnapped and killed her. They wanted to attack immediately, but there were a couple of things that stopped them from doing that. First and ironically, it was Elda who stopped the youngsters from going wild. She believed with everything she had that Anju was still out there and would come back after some time. And come back she did. Second, the youngster vampires had absolutely no idea where to attack. Nowadays the vampire hunters smartly kept a very low profile and only worked during the day.

Ren and Tachibana were safe to. By the time the bats actually caught up to them, they were already on a bullet train, destination unknown. A few bats managed to squeeze themselves through the air conditioning, but Ren took care of that. Although they did have to lie low for a while to avoid any revenge seeking vampires.

Ironically, the one that Anju talked most to during the ten months was Usui Kenta. She had told him almost everything that happened to her. How she found out that Katsu was a vampire hunter, how he confessed to her, how Elda came in, and all the way to the moment were Jun rescued both of them. Most of the time Usui just sat there and listened quietly, fascinated by the story. He had always known Anju for her protectiveness over Karin and the maturity for her age. But this time, it was as if Anju had transformed. The way she told the story made her look more cheerfully than before, almost less mature one could say, yet even more mature at the same time. For Anju did become more mature, emotionally that is.

Usui would have simply loved to tell Karin about Anju's adventure, but he decided not to do it. Instead he told this story to her as a short story while they were eating dinner. Karin almost asked for sequel.

It was as if everything had turned back to normal again. Except things were far from normal. During the ten months, not a single suitor came to ask Anju to marry him. No, Elda and Calera threatened to kill any vampire that dared to enter Tokyo. Henry of course was against violence.

Anju had become more mature thanks to Katsu. Her family was back, Ren and Tachibana were safe, the vampire community was calm again, Karin and Kenta were happy. It seemed as if everything was back to normal again. Little did anybody know, one important person was still missing. And that person would come tonight.

Anju looked at the city from 'her' rooftop dreamily with her melancholic eyes. _Katsu…I wonder where you are…_

She knew that today would make the wait exactly ten months. Ten months of longing and waiting. Ten months of desire and hope. Ten lonely months.

Boogie-kun didn't try to make any smart comments every time Anju was standing on the rooftop, waiting. For he knew that Katsu was part of his master's heart now, and that she needed him. She needed him very much. "Don't worry, he will come back soon enough," he said many times, and every time Anju would reply with a sad but grateful smile. She was happy that Katsu had promised her that he would come back for her, but not knowing _when_ was almost as painful as not knowing whether or not he will actually come back.

Little did Anju know that she was standing on the exact stop where Katsu first saw her. Well, she first saw him in the park, but he saw her first here. Next to the mansion, on top of Usui Kenta's apartment.

"When do you think he will come?" Boogie-kun asked, somewhat missing the little excitement that the human had bought into their lives.

"I don't know" Anju replied with almost a sigh. "But he will come."

"Yeah…" Boogie-kun said half heartily. _But what after he comes back,_ he thought to himself. _You're going to outlive him by at least a hundred years, and what is your family going to say?_

Life span certainly was a major problem. But that wasn't something Anju wanted to worry about for now. Not now. Not tonight. That was a problem for the future. Right now, Katsu still needed to come.

--

_1:45 am, somewhere in Tokyo_

With a happy sigh, Katsu stepped out of the cab. A sigh because it had taken him over an hour to find his old hostel and hence the taximeter skyrocketed. And happy because he now knew the way to the Maaka mansion. The place where he had first seen Anju. That is where he was going to start looking for Anju. And that was where he is going to find her.

He dropped of his luggage in the hostel room. Ironically they gave him the exact same room that he previously stayed in. The room where so many memories were created. The room where his cover was blown and Elda came in. So many things happened here. The cleaning staff even managed to remove the blood stains from the floor. The walls of course had to be repainted completely. The bill went to Jun.

Half an hour later, he could see the Maaka mansion. Katsu smiled. _Where it all started..._It had been such a long time since he had been here. It felt like it had been a year since he had last been here. Katsu frowned at that feeling. _10 months is almost a year…_

He continued walking, carefully walking the exact same path that he first used when he discovered the Maaka mansion. He walked fairly close to the trees until he could see Usui Kenta's apartment house.

And there she was.

Anju.

Standing there on the roof, holding Boogie-kun waiting. The moonlight created an elegant glow around her. Katsu smiled and said nothing, nor did he move. He was mesmerized by the sigh. Anju looked beautiful with the glow around her. It was the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The first being Anju smiling of course. He wished he could a take picture of what he saw.

"Anju!" Katsu called out, stepping out of the hiding place in the trees.

For a second, Anju couldn't quite make out what she was hearing or who was calling out her name. It took a moment for her mind to process that it was Katsu's voice. And that it came from the right.

Wide eyed, she turned and saw Katsu. There. Standing beside a tree, waving, smiling, almost laughing.

Anju smiled and felt tears begin to swell up in her eyes, but quickly blinked them away. She didn't want to cry. Not now. Not yet.

Without a single word, she summoned her bats and quickly flew over to him. Leaving Boogie-kun behind on the roof. _Katsu._

Without a single word, Anju wrapped her arms around Katsu, her face pressing against his chest. Never before had she felt such immeasurable joy. It simply felt…good, Anju couldn't quite find the word for. Yes, it was him. It was Katsu. His body was slightly thinner than before, it was him. She inhaled his scent, how she missed it. The scent of his skin, his blood, his warmth and his chest. It was all here again. Everything was back. Everything.

"I'm back." Katsu said with a smile and put his arms around her too. He nuzzled in nose in her hair. It was a sweet scent. Anju smelt very good. _Anju…_He slowly lowered his arms, exploring her backside, until they eventually reached her buttocks and waist. Anju was quite slender, yet at the same time quite curvaceous. Slowly, gently, he put his warms around her waist.

Anju did not resist.

Katsu lowered his head and gazed in Anju's eyes. They were on the same frequency. She looked up at him, into his deep, black eyes. She felt save, whole, complete. Happy. _Happiness…_Yes, Anju now fully understood what Karin felt when she was with Kenta, for she found her happiness too. Her complete happiness; Katsu.

Katsu gazed into her fathomless eyes. They were darker and deeper than usual, yet at the same time there was joy that lit her eyes up. There was light in her eyes. He felt himself drawn into her deep, dark melancholic eyes. He couldn't help but smile and he saw the happiness in her eyes.

He lowered his head slightly further and kissed her. Anju lips felt soft and tasted sweet. Inhaling her scent, Katsu kissed her even deeper. He felt his head becoming soft. He knew that he was losing himself in that kiss and gladly gave in to that dreaminess.

Lowering his hand to her buttocks, he drew Anju even closer.

"Oh," she said, wide eyed, looking up at him. For a second Katsu thought he had done something wrong, and began to loosen his grip. Anju then smiled and pressed herself harder against him, kissing him harder. Katsu could clearly feel her breasts pressing against his chest, he could feel the warmth emitting from them.

He opened his mouth and his tongue slide into her mouth. For a moment Anju didn't know what to do, but gave in to her instincts. She let Katsu's enter her mouth and their tongues intertwined.

Anju eventually moved her head slightly away and gazed into Katsu's eyes.

"I love you," she whispered with a smile. "I love you Katsu."

Katsu gazed back into her eyes and if he didn't take control of himself, a tear would have rolled down his cheek.

"I love you too," he whispered back and kissed her again. "I love you Anju."

The moonlight was especially strong that night.

Anju had found her happiness.

_The End – Owari_

_

* * *

_

And that's it! The final chapter. Since this the final chapter, allow me to make a longer-than-usual after comment.

I can't thank all of you enough for reading this. It has meant a lot to me. So, first of all a big THANK YOU for reading this far.

Back in February when I posted the first chapter of Anju's Chapters, I never expected this project to take such a big size and personal importance. I had a story in me that I just had to get out and never expected it reach novel length. Now after about 8 months and thirty chapters, the project is complete and _Anju's Chapters_ had helped me make some very important decisions.

Back in February when I was in 10th Grade, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do in the future. Scientist? Bus driver? Politician? Businessman? I DEFINITELY knew that I didn't want to become a business man with a desk job like many of my Asian friends. I wanted to do something with writing...You could say that I started _Anju's Chapters_ in order to find if I had the drive and energy to write a work of novel length. And I'm glad to say that I reached the end, and it has been one of the most AMAZING experiences I ever had. Sure it was a lot of work (I have 32,000+ words of just outlines) and for what I think for the first time in my life, I now feel a sense of achievement writing this. Moreover, this had helped me decide what I want to do with my life. I want to write. While writing _Anju's Chapters, _I discovered just how much I loved telling a good story, and while writing it, lots of ideas came to my mind. So yeah, I want to become a writer, journalist. So I'm planning to take Creative Writing and Journalism once I'm done with high school. Maybe 7 years down the road you will see some of my works in the bookstores, who knows. I know it's kind of extreme to decide my future on 'just' a work of fanfiction, but really, I have enjoyed telling this story more than anything...ok, maybe there are some things that I enjoy more, but I really want to...write novels, books. I've discovered that this is my passion. And never before had I felt such a sense of achievement when I was typing O-W-A-R-I, it was one of the best feelings I ever felt. And I want to feel it again.

I originally intended to write a mini sequel dealing with the life span issue, but after thinking about it for a while, it felt just 'right' to end the story here. After thirty chapters, I think Katsu deserves to simply get a rest and well...uhh, 'enjoy' the labor fruits. I even wrote the plot outline for the mini sequel, but after some serious thinking, it just felt better to end it here.

So what am I going to do now? Right now I'm working with a friend on a manga project for CAS and I gave him the 24 page Name for the first chapter for him to clean up and right now I am working on the script for the 1st chapter and the outline for the 2nd chapter. I saw his drawings, and I have to say, hes a pro. I'm glad that I was able to convince him to work with me, as he is the only guy in the whole grade who takes art, and he owns all the other girls at drawing. And while writing _Anju's Chapters, _so many ideas for novels and books came to my mind. All of them I'm burning to tell. If you want to be kept updated about the manga, give me your email address and I will add you to my update list. We are planning on having the Name approved by out CAS supervisor next week, and the manuscript done by the end of November. I'm planning to have my first original novel written before I graduate from high school.

So yeah, maybe one day I will see you in a bookstore :)

And one last, THANKS FOR READING!

Chris Bachman


	31. Epilogue – Now and Forever

**Epilogue – Now and Forever**

One says that when two people are fated to be together, once they meet for the first time, their hearts will come together like the hour hand and minute hand on a clock. Uncontrollably, their hearts will attract each other like magnets, yet repel each other at the same time. Just like the hour hand and minute hand, almost like fate, they will come together and nothing would be able to stop them. And just like the hour hand and minute hand, they will move away from each other again. Sometime later they would be at their greatest distance, their greatest test, and only those with strong hearts, will and love, will be able to withstand that distance, and in the end come back together.

Many couples fail that test. Many couples, after their greatest intimacy when the hour hand and minute hand were right above each other, slowly drift apart and in the end, at half past, their love doesn't withstand the distance between them and they each go their own way.

Many fail, however, a handful stay together and a much deeper and meaningful love blossoms. This love takes quite a while to find, and many couples do not last that long. However, if they do, then the joy and mirth can be immeasurable.

Katsu and Anju stood there together at the beach. Hand in hand they walked down the shore in silence. Neither needed to say anything, for no words were needed, they knew each other well enough to be comfortable around each other silently.

Many years had passed since Katsu had first seen Anju on top of Usui Kenta's old apartment house and gotten reunited with her at almost the same place. They both loved each other more than anything at that time, and just like any couple, they withstood the tests that life had in store for young couples. And just like a handful, they managed to survive the half-past distance, and an even greater sense of trust and longing had been created.

They faced many difficulties together, for they were the first vampire-human couple since the middle-ages. Many in the vampire community objected their bond and attempted to break them up. They tried to kidnap Anju, bribe her parents, and sometimes, even kill Katsu. They withstood all of these and many more. Nothing could pull them apart. Or rather, Katsu would never let anything pull them apart. _I've gone through too much to lose her now_, he would often think when fighting off the numerous murder attempts of jealous male vampires.

Anju on the other hand, even though she didn't have to deal with murder attempts, she had received a lot of pressure from the vampire community. Many said that if the vampire species became extinct, then they would blame her. Many disgraced and insulted her for giving her heart to a mere human. And even though the entire vampire society condemned her, Anju never gave in, for Katsu was always by her side, her family was always supporting her.

Elda was surprisingly supportive of her granddaughter's decision to be with Katsu, a human. She had a reputation for hating humans more than anything, and many expected her to try to break Anju and Katsu up, and succeed. But to many surprises, Elda defended her granddaughter and made the entire vampire world shiver in fear whenever she would stand up and defend Anju's honor.

Together, Katsu and Anju have gone through this and much more. Together, hand in hand, they withstood every test life had in store for them.

Funny enough, even though more than five years had passed already they never married. It's wasn't exactly like they didn't want to, it was more like they didn't feel the need to. After some thinking, Anju had come to the conclusion was marriage was nothing but a bond that would keep couples together even when their love wouldn't be able to withstand the greatest distance of half-past.

Katsu, with all honesty couldn't care less about marriage. He never saw anything special in marriage anyway. Just like Anju, he saw it as an unnecessary bond that caused nothing but trouble.

They both knew that even though they have withstood almost everything society could throw at them, they would still have to face the greatest hurdle of all: life span. Ever since Katsu's grandfather had passed away two years ago, his uncle had taken over the research with his wife, who happened to have PhD in Gene Sciences.

To love all their lives together, Katsu and Anju knew that either Katsu would have to extend his life span or Anju would somehow have to become a human. They both came to the conclusion that it would be better for Katsu to somehow extend his life span.

With great effort, Katsu and Anju managed to obtain blood and DNA samples from Elda, the oldest vampire alive and gave them to Katsu's uncle and his wife Yuriko. With those samples, their research is well on its way. They plan on injecting modified vampire blood into Katsu to extend his life span and make his body more resistant to the strain of time.

But all of this didn't concern Katsu right now. Right now, he was with Anju. His love, his one and only love. They had stopped walking and simply stood there, holding hands, watching the sunrise. Anju, as usual, was up all night and Katsu had stayed with her.

"You know," Katsu began and paused for a moment. "I know I said it countless times before, but, I love you Anju."

Katsu stopped and considered what he had just said. It sounded really…dumb. Yes, that's the word. Dumb. But he just suddenly felt a need to say that.

Anju smiled in response and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "I love you too," she smiled at him wrapped her arms around him. It felt so…warm to be with Katsu, to be so close to him, to have him hold her tightly in his arms. To be together, with no words. To simply…be.

To be here together, now and forever.

* * *

Well...more than a year after the first chapter came out, and more than 3 months after I wrote the last chapter, I finally decided finish off Anju's Chapters with a fitting epilogue after writing a series of original short stories and a novella. Since this epilogue is written so late, you might have noticed some change in the writing style (though hopefully good changes lol). Well...now I can call Anju's Chapters fully complete and the ending that it deserves. And by all means, if you've read this far, drop a short review. I really want to know what you thought about this.

Thanks for reading this all the way to the end!

Sincerely yours,

Chris Bachman


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